The First Map of Tartaria Engraved In England.
Fine old color example of this scarce map of Tartaria, the earliest folio size map of the region to be engraved and printed in Asia.
The present example is from an very early printing of the map, including a longitude and latitude grid on the map which does not appear on later examples. The map is engraved by Thomas Burnford, one of the few maps attributed to Burnford.
Shows the Great Wall of China and extends west to the Caspian Sea. The map demonstrates the naïve engraving style characteristic of 17th Century English engravers, and features an elaborate heraldic cartouche and a dedication to ye Worshipfull Rober Daughan of Bredwardin and Mosckals in the County of Hereford…
Blome's maps, because of their rarity and importance in the history of English Cartography, are essential items for regional collectors. Blome first began engraving maps for his Geographical Description Of The Four Parts Of The World in 1667. The completed volume was in small folio, and contained 24 maps (plus one duplicated), engraved by Francis Lamb, Thomas Burnford and Wenceslas Hollar. Blome's principal handicap in the production of the atlas was the lack of a domestic mapmaking environment comparable with that in Europe. Also, to finance his work, he undertook subscribers, in exchange for a promise to add their coat of arms to certain maps. In later editions, if the renewal fee was not paid, Blome added a different subscribers coat of arms, leading to multiple images on various editions of the same map.