China

This uncommon lithographed map of Hong Kong, drawn by Monsignor Simeone Volonteri (1831–1904), represents a significant milestone in the cartographic history of the region. It is the first known bilingual map of Hong Kong, featuring place names in both Roman and Chinese scripts. The lithographic plate was prepared in 1873 in Milan and subsequently published in 1874 in Paris to accompany Volonteri’s...

Place: Paris / MIlan
Date: 1874
Size: 25 cm x 30 cm (print): 30.5 cm x 44 cm (sheet)
Item Number: 8711

L'empire de la Chine d'après l'Atlas Chinois, avec les isles du Japon. Par M. Bonne, hydrographe. 37 x 53 cm. Lindos colores originales, excelente estado. En la parte inferior del cartucho, parte del texto que hace referencia al rey francés fue borrado, probablemente durante la Revolución Francesa, c. 1794: "con privilegio del rey" se convirtió en "con privilegio". Mapa antiguo original de China y...

Place: Paris
Date: 1780
Item Number: 04537

Beautiful map of China that represented a significant advancement in Western cartographic knowledge of the region. It was published in the Atlas Sinensis by Martino Martini, an Italian Jesuit missionary considered an authority on the cartographic recording of Chinese territory. This atlas, edited by Covens & Mortier in Amsterdam, is considered the first Western atlas of China and represents the pinnacle...

Place: Amsterdam (40.6 x 53.3 cm)
Date: 1695
Item Number: 5373

Very uncommon map of the Henan province, published in Shanghai in 1917. Its capital was then Kaifeng, and Zhengzhou is referred to as Chengchow Fu. This map was featured in John Edwin Dingles New Atlas of China, a rare publication from the Far Eastern Geographical Establishment, offering a remarkable testament to the Western presence in Shanghai after the First Opium War. Although bilingual (English-Mandarin),...

Place: Shanghai
Date: 1917
Item Number: 6917

Very uncommon map of the Shandong province, published in Shanghai in 1917. Jinan ), its capital, is referred as Tsinan. It shows with great details two foreign concession: Jiaozhou Bay ("Kiaochow Bay"), the former German concession (and hometown of the famed Tsingtao beer), described as a "Neutral Territory"; and British Weihaiwei, in and around today Weihai city. This was a leased territory of the...

Place: Shanghai
Date: 1917
Item Number: 6918

Very uncommon map of the Jiangsu province, published in Shanghai in 1917. Nanjing, its capital, is referred as Nankin. It shows with great details both the Tongji Canal, ("Old Course") and the Huai-Yang Canal followed by the Jiangnan Canal ("Grand Canal"). On the top left of the map appears the Jiaozhou Bay ("Kiaochow Bay"), the former German concession (and hometown of the famed Tsingtao beer). It...

Place: Shanghai
Date: 1917
Item Number: 6919

Beautiful colored British Admiralty nautical map of the approaches to the Yangtze River, including part of the city of Shanghai, China. It depicts Shanghai to the sea and the island and bank of Chongming North to the Shengsi and Saddle Islands South. The map captures Shanghai during and after the Second Sino-Japanese War 1937 -1945, during which the city was heavily destroyed. The chart has different...

Place: London
Date: 1947
Item Number: 7239

Rare admiralty chart of the South Sea East Coast of China, from Hong Kong to Jieyang and its port Shantu. It has many dates of publication and improvement: a copyright in Nov. 1890, new editions in 1909 and 1912, small corrections in 1920, etc; up to its last update in 1948, reflecting the important shipping activity in the region and therefor the need of constantly updated and improved charts. The...

Place: London
Date: 1947
Item Number: 7240

Beautiful engraving of a different Asiatic and West Indian vessels, by Romeyn de Hooghe, one of the greatest Dutch etchers of the late 17th century. The plate was later bought by Pieter van der Aa, who reprinted it in 1728 (our copy), adding French title and legends to the original Dutch one, to appeal to a broader audience. He translated "Speeljachten" to "Jachts de plaisir", or leisure yachts. It...

Date: 1887
Item Number: 6864