L’Empire de la Chine Pour Servir a l’Histoire Générale des Voyages 1748

This original antique map was designed by Bellin for the work Histoire Générale des Voyages by Abbé Prévost. Jacques-Nicolas Bellin, in his capacity as Hydrographic Engineer of the French Navy, used reports and nautical charts of the period in its preparation, integrating data from the Jesuit missions and from d’Anville’s Atlas.

The cartography shows the territory of China under the Qing dynasty, detailing its provinces, the river networks of the Yangtze and the Yellow River, and the Great Wall in the north. The map includes the Korean peninsula, the lands of Tartary and the island of Formosa (Taiwan), identified with the inscription “Isle de Tay-Wan ou Formose”. These elements reflect the territorial organisation and the political geography of the Far East in the mid-18th century.

The piece presents a Rococo-style title cartouche in the lower left corner. The technical composition follows the standards of the French school of cartography of the period, focused on the precision of the coordinates and the delineation of coastal and inland geographical features.

The Empire of China
Jacques-Nicolas Bellin | Paris
1748