Nicolas Sanson d'Abbeville's map of Asia, published in Paris by Pierre Mariette in 1650, represents a pivotal achievement in the evolution of French cartography during the seventeenth century. Sanson, often hailed as the progenitor of the French school of cartography, crafted this work amidst a burgeoning era of European exploration and colonial expansion, drawing upon an eclectic array of sources including Portuguese portolan charts, Dutch East India Company reports, and Jesuit missionary accounts from the Far East.

The map employs a modified conical projection, characteristic of Sanson's methodology, which affords reasonable proportionality across the vast continental expanse from the Caspian Sea to the Pacific Ocean, and from the Arctic to the Indian Ocean. Measuring approximately 41.5 by 55.2 centimeters, the copperplate engraving exemplifies the technical precision of Parisian ateliers, with intricate line work delineating political boundaries, river systems, and mountain ranges.

Original outline hand-coloring enhances legibility, distinguishing empires, kingdoms, and provinces through typical original shop colouring with subtle washes of green, yellow, and pink.

Sanson's depiction of Asia reveals both advancements and persistent inaccuracies reflective of the epoch's geographical knowledge. Inland, towns, forts, and indigenous toponyms populate the interior, from Samarkand's Timurid legacy to Batavia's nascent Dutch foothold.

Curiously, the depiction of northwest America is very outdated, with California not even mentioned or show, not as a peninsula or as an island.

This 1650 state precedes later editions with corrections, preserving Sanson's original synthesis. Beyond mere representation, the map encapsulates the geopolitical aspirations of Louis XIV's France, the Sun King, fostering scientific rigor over decorative excess. Its dissemination via Mariette's presses facilitated scholarly discourse, influencing successors like Guillaume Delisle. In the historiography of Asian cartography, Sanson's work bridges Renaissance compilations and Enlightenment precision, embodying the tension between empirical discovery and imaginative conjecture.

Like all maps issued by Mariette, the map is very rare, it is the first time we have it in over 25 years.

Gorgeous example in attractive contemporary hand colour, applied in the 'shop colour' of the publisher.

Antique maps of the East India Company
Antique maps of Australia
Antique maps of Japan
Antique maps of China
Antique maps of the Philippines
Antique maps of Southeast Asia
Antique maps of India and Ceylon
Antique maps of Korea
Antique maps of the Middle East
Antique maps of Asia
Antique maps of America