"The symbol of that exploration was Ferdinand Magellan's ship Victoria on the map it is at sea, having just passed through the strait that bears his name. The ocean became the focus of much sixteenth century exploration. The long-hoped-for northwest passage had not been found, and mariners avoided the Portuguese-controlled South African voyage to Asia. He must have realized, however, that the Pacific was increasing in stature as a commercial route to Asia. Although the plate bears the date of 1589, "Maris Pacifici" was first published in Ortelius's 1590 "Additamentum," an appendix to his atlas, and was then included in future editions of the "Theatrum." Ortelius "was very bold to attempt to map what was perhaps the least-known part of the world. Ortelius derived much of the Pacific cartography from the map published in 1589 by his associate, the map engraver Frans Hogenberg, though Ortelius introduced a considerably narrower and more correct North America at the latitude of the Tropic of Cancer than Hogenberg. This deceptively simple compositional strategy emphasizes the vastness of the Pacific while stressing the magnitude of Magellan's achievement as the first to circumnavigate the globe. The map is unusually centered on the Pacific itself rather than on any landmass, thus showing the ocean in its entirety as it stretches from Asia to America. Magellan's ship "Victoria" is depicted in the Pacific along with a celebratory Latin inscription. Primarily, however, the map celebrates the achievements of Magellan, the first to traverse the Pacific Ocean and to discover the strait at the southern tip of South America that would come to be named in his honor. Nova Hispania (Mexico) and the California peninsula are shown quite accurately for the time. This map, from the 1603 Antwerp edition with text in Latin on the verso, was one of the most important that appeared in Abraham Ortelius's "Theatrum orbis terrarium." Entitled "Maris Pacifici" - "Ocean of Tranquility" - it was the first printed map to be devoted to the Pacific Ocean, and also includes an early depiction of the west coast of North America, Japan and New Guinea. Van den Broecke estimates this edition to have been printed in a run of 300 copies only. 1603 Latin edition, first published in 1570. THE FIRST PRINTED MAP TO BE DEVOTED TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN AND TO SHOW AN EARLY DEPICTION OF THE WEST COAST OF AMERICA. EXCEPTIONALLY FINE engraved map of the Pacific Ocean, the title in an elaborate mannerist strapwork and allegorical cartouche upper right and the imprint in the lower left, the ocean decorated with ships all with hand-color in full (evenly browned, two older tape repairs to verso, one or two pale stains). First published in 1584, "Las Philippinas" was added above "Sinus Magnus" in this, the second state. The four transcriptions of Chinese characters in the text on the verso were an early introduction to the Chinese language for Europeans. It is attractively embellished with sea ships, wind wagons, animals, birds, and Tartar yurts across the plains and steppes of Central Asia and it was the first to illustrate a portion of the Great Wall of China. The limits of China were given as the Great Wall in the north and Cauchin China in the south. Tooley remarked that this map remained the standard type for the interior of China for over 60 years. One of the earliest western maps of China, drawn by the Portuguese mapmaker Luis Jorge de Barbuda, based upon his personal experiences in the country, and reports by the Portuguese Jesuits who had established a mission in China in 1577. Decorative title cartouche and other, embellishments, Latin text on verso some pigment oxidation and toning, 3 small internal tears in left inside margin, strengthened on verso with a portion of an index, partially obscuring text. 47 x 56.5 cm) WITH FULL, UNRETOUCHED, CONTEMPORARY HANDCOLORING. Double-page engraved map (18 1/2 x 22 1/4 in.
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