Antique Map of the Sichuan and Shaanxi Provinces by Janssonius (c.1655)

Description: Antique map titled 'Suchuen et Xensi, Provinciae seu Praesecturae regni sinensis'. Map of the Sichuan and Shaanxi Provinces, oriented with west at the top. The Sichuan capital of Chengdu ('Chingtu') and Chongching ('Chungching') are located to the center-right of the map, while the city of Xi'an ('Sigan'), an ancient captial of China, is located to the right in Shaanxi. The western end of the Great Wall of China passes further to the right, and even further still are the sands of the Gobi Desert, the 'Desertum Europaesis'. The map also features great detail as to the postions of mountains, rivers (including the mighty Yangtze) and villages, all of which are finely engraved.

Artists and Engravers: Jan Janssonius (also known as Johann or Jan Jansson or Janszoon) (1588-1664) was a renowned geographer and publisher of the seventeenth century, when the Dutch dominated map publishing in Europe.