1784 Zatta Map of Chinese Tartary and Korea

This map is a hand colored 1784 Antonio Zatta map of Chinese Tartary and Korea. Centered on Chinese Tartary, the map details Korea, Manchuria, Chinese Tartary and parts of adjacent Russian Tartary, Independent Tartary, Mongolia, and Japan. The map is engraved in the fine late 18th Italian style and contains a beautiful pictorial cartouche. It details northern China, Korea and the Sakhalin Island and marks many towns and villages including Peking. Of particular interest is in the exceptional detail within Korea and the unusual rendering of Hokkaido, here labeled 'Jeso –Gasima.' It also outlines the portions of the Great Wall of China. During this time in history, this region was dominated by China's last Imperial Dynasty, the Qing. This map was issued as part of A. Zatta's 1784 publication of Atlante Novissimo.

Cartographer

Antonio Zatta (1722 - February 16, 1804) was a Venetian printer and publisher whose illustrated books and atlases made him a leading figure in late 18th-century Italian publishing. Born in Venice into a printing family active since 1656, he attempted to relocate to Rovereto in 1752, but Venetian authorities blocked the move. The merchant Amedeo Svajer financed his early ventures. His connections with the Jesuits, including publications defending the order under false imprints (1760 - 1761), attracted controversy, although these ties weakened during the 1760s. Geography became a major undertaking: he published Anton Friedrich Büsching's Nuova geografia in 34 volumes (1773 - 1782), followed by the four-volume Atlante novissimo, illustrato ed accresciuto (1779 - 1785), comprising approximately 240 maps. Portions appeared separately, notably Le colonie unite dell'America settentr.le, an Italian adaptation of John Mitchell's 1755 map. His geographical publications also included Cook's voyages (1794 - 1795) and the map-illustrated political periodical Prospetto degli affari attuali dell'Europa (1788 - 1801). Beyond cartography, he published literature, medicine, and Buffon's natural history (1782 - 1791), cultivating collaborations with leading Venetian illustrators and engravers. His sons Giacomo and Giovanni joined the business in 1783; the printing house closed shortly after his death.   Further Details...

Source

Zatta A., Atlante Novissimo, 1784.    

Condition

Very good. Blank on verso. Original platelines visible. Original certerfold. Minor wormholing in margins and along centerfold.