1725 Homann Map of the Caspian Sea and Kamchatka (as Yedso)

The Only Glimpse of Strahlenberg's Second Lost Map.

One of Johann Christoph Homann's most interesting and influential works: his 1725 map of the Caspian Sea, and an extremely up-to-date map of Kamchatka. Two maps in one, it juxtaposes two opposite parts of Asia: the Caspian Sea at the western border of Asia and Europe, and the Peninsula of Kamchatka, the easternmost known point in continental Asia.

The Caspian Sea

The left-hand map, focusing on the Caspian Sea, marks a significant step forward in the mapping of this region, reflecting the 1719 - 1721 survey work of the Russian navy officer Karl van Verden. Verden's work, completed shortly before this map's publication, was the most advanced mapping of the Caspian Sea to date, offering a new perspective on the region and opening the navigational possibility of the world's largest lake.

Strahlenberg's Revised Mapping of Kamchatka

The right-hand map depicts Kamchatka and its surroundings, the remotest part of Asia, and at the time this was printed, a fertile ground for speculative mapping. Homann's work benefited from the labors of Philipp Johann von Strahlenberg, the Swedish engineer who, as a prisoner of war in Tobolsk, produced the most accurate maps to date of Russian Asia in the first decades of the 18th century.  Strahlenberg had completed his first map of Siberia by 1715, but in the course of a great fire in Tobolsk, the map had been stolen. Strahlenberg produced a second map to replace it in 1717-1718, which he forwarded to the Swedish ambassador in Moscow, Josias Cederhielm (1673-1729). It was this map that was transmitted, at least in part, to Homann, who used it for this 1725 map of Kamchatka. This provides our sole glimpse of Strahlenberg's 1718 work, which is similar but not identical to his 1730 map, (published after he received his freedom). The unfortunate mapmaker's first, stolen map would resurface in plagiarized editions in 1726; its treatment of Kamchatka was more primitive, resembling the present map not at all. Ironically, Strahlenberg's 1718 map - Homann - would have a significant impact on subsequent cartography of the region. Most importantly, Homann's map influenced Engelbert Kaempfer's 1727 History of Japan, which laid the groundwork for European cartographic representations of Japan for the next 50 to 60 years. Subsequent maps of Japan would incorporate the mythical island of Matsumai (shown here as Matmanska) into a small archipelago joining Japan to Kamchatka, thus placing part of the prized Japanese island chain in the sphere of Russian, hence European, influence.

East of Kamchatka, there appear two large bodies of land. These mythical landmasses reflect speculation associated with the connections between Northeastern Asia and Northwestern America. Many early maps incorporated these islands, often called Compagnie Land, Terre de Compagnie, Gamaland, or just Gama. Though not labeled as such on this map, there is no doubt this land is what Homann is attempting to represent. Compagnie was supposedly discovered by the mysterious sailor Jean de Gama in the 17th century. Most likely, this territory is, like Muller's Peninsula, merely a misinterpretation of numerous sightings of the various Aleutian Islands.

The two primary panels of this map are separated by an unusual band of allegorical cartouche work. From on high, the sun gazes down upon the lands of men and gods - much as the cartographer might have imagined himself looking down upon the world. Puttihold aloft the instruments of cartography. At the base of the cartouche, a man sits next to a globe, his mapping tools at hand. The globe itself presents Asia with both the Caspian Sea and Kamchatka visible. One of the most interesting elements of this cartouche is the small map of Japan being held by a child in the lower right. Though tiny and a seeming minor element, this little map is actually the earliest available in which Japan's Noto Peninsula is turned westward. This cartographic convention did not begin to appear in actual maps until Bellin's 1736 mapping of Japan.

Publication History and Census

This map was produced in and around 1725 by Johann Christoph Homann for inclusion in the family's atlases; it would remain in publication throughout the firm's publishing history. It is well represented in institutional collections.

Cartographers

Johann Baptist Homann (March 20, 1664 - July 1, 1724) was the most prominent and prolific map publisher of the 18th century. Homann was born in Oberkammlach, a small town near Kammlach, Bavaria, Germany. As a young man, Homann studied in a Jesuit school and nursed ambitions of becoming a Dominican priest. Nonetheless, he converted to Protestantism in 1687, when he was 23. It is not clear where he mastered engraving, but we believe it may have been in Amsterdam. Homann's earliest work we have identified is about 1689, and already exhibits a high degree of mastery. Around 1691, Homann moved to Nuremberg and registered as a notary. By this time, he was already making maps, and very good ones at that. He produced a map of the environs of Nürnberg in 1691/92, which suggests he was already a master engraver. Around 1693, Homann briefly relocated to Vienna, where he lived and studied printing and copper plate engraving until 1695. Until 1702, he worked in Nuremberg in the map trade under Jacob von Sandrart (1630 - 1708) and then David Funck (1642 - 1709). Afterward, he returned to Nuremberg, where, in 1702, he founded the commercial publishing firm that would bear his name. In the next five years, Homann produced hundreds of maps and developed a distinctive style characterized by heavy, detailed engraving, elaborate allegorical cartouche work, and vivid hand color. Due to the lower cost of printing in Germany, the Homann firm could undercut the dominant French and Dutch publishing houses while matching their diversity and quality. Despite copious output, Homann did not release his first major atlas until the 33-map Neuer Atlas of 1707, followed by a 60-map edition of 1710. By 1715, Homann's rising star caught the attention of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI, who appointed him Imperial Cartographer. In the same year, he was also appointed a member of the Royal Academy of Sciences in Berlin. Homann's prestigious title came with several significant advantages, including access to the most up-to-date cartographic information as well as the 'Privilege'. The Privilege was a type of early copyright offered to very few by the Holy Roman Emperor. Though less sophisticated than modern copyright legislation, the Privilege offered limited protection for several years. Most all J. B. Homann maps printed between 1715 and 1730 bear the inscription 'Cum Priviligio' or some variation. Homann was also skilled at cultivated learned relationships throughout Europe, for example, in 1723, documents from the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences identify him as an 'Agent of Muscovy', indicating an official connection to the cartographic circles in Russia. Following Homann's death in 1724, the firm's map plates and management passed to his son, Johann Christoph Homann (1703 - 1730). J. C. Homann, perhaps realizing that he would not long survive his father, stipulated in his will that the company would be inherited by his two head managers, Johann Georg Ebersberger (1695 - 1760) and Johann Michael Franz (1700 - 1761), and that it would publish only under the name 'Homann Heirs'. This designation, in various forms (Homannsche Heirs, Heritiers de Homann, Lat Homannianos Herod, Homannschen Erben, etc.) appears on maps from about 1731 onwards. The firm continued to publish maps in ever-diminishing quantities until the death of its last owner, Christoph Franz Fembo (1781 - 1848).   Further Details...

Carl Van Verden (fl. c. 1718 - 1730) was a Dutch seaman in the employ of the Russian Navy during the early 18th century. Van Verden is best known for his important 1719 - 1721 mapping of the Caspian Sea, which was the most sophisticated and accurate that had been issued to date. A significant cartographic achievement, Van Verden's work on the Caspian led directly to Peter the Great's 1722 invasion of Baku and Derbent and Russian hegemony in the region. Despite his achievements in the Caspian, Van Verden was later passed up by the Tzar in favor of Vitus Behring for the commission to discover a Northeast Passage through the Russian Arctic.   Further Details...

Philipp Johann von Strahlenberg (October 6, 1677 - September 7, 1747), aka Philip Johan Tabbert, was a Swedish army officer of Germanic descent. Strahlenberg was born in the Hanseatic town Stralsund, now Pomerania, Germany, but then part of Sweden. Strahlenberg joined the Swedish army in 1694, being promoted to Captain in 1703. When he was ennobled in 1707, he took the name Strahlenberg. During the Great Northern War (1700 - 1721) between Russia and Sweden, Strahlenberg was captured and sent to Tobolsk, where he lived the commodious life of a noble prisoner of war from 1711 to 1721. During this time, he developed a fascination with the the geography of Siberia and studied the anthropology, languages, and customs of its indigenous peoples. He also worked as an assistant to the German explorer and naturalist Daniel Gottlieb Messerschmidt (1685-1735), who was then working for Peter the Great. Along with fellow Swedish prisoner, Johan Anton von Matérn, Strahlenberg dedicated himself to the composition of a large new map of Russia. Strahlenberg recommended that the Ural Mountains serve as the eastern borders of the European continent, an idea that was later approved by the Tsar. He returned to Sweden in 1722, and in 1730 he published an important book about Siberia, Das Nord- und Ostliche Theil von Europa und Asia (North and Eastern Parts of Europe and Asia), and its accompanying map.   Further Details...

Condition

Very good. Original centerfold. Some wear in title area. Else clean.

References

Pierce, B., A Catalogue of the Maps and Charts in the Library of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, p. 168.

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