{"id":1081,"date":"2016-03-02T13:44:49","date_gmt":"2016-03-02T18:44:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/?p=1081"},"modified":"2016-03-02T13:46:06","modified_gmt":"2016-03-02T18:46:06","slug":"china-at-the-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2016\/03\/china-at-the-center\/","title":{"rendered":"China at the Center"},"content":{"rendered":"

T<\/span>wo important seventeenth-century world maps<\/span> are the focus of a new exhibition opening this Friday at the Asian Art Museum<\/a> in San Francisco.\u00a0China at the Center: Rare Ricci and Verbiest World Maps<\/a><\/em>, which runs from 4 March to 8 May 2016, features Matteo Ricci<\/a>\u2019s\u00a01602 map<\/a> and Ferdinand Verbiest<\/a>\u2019s 1674 map<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ricci (1552\u20131610) and Verbiest (1623\u20131688) were both Jesuit priests, in China to spread Christianity; their maps, produced in collaboration with Chinese calligraphers, artists and printers, produced a fundamental rethinking of China’s place in the world. Not that China wasn’t at the centre of these maps,\u00a0as the essays in the accompanying catalogue point out, but these maps filled out the rest of the world, which was previously a marginal afterthought in Chinese cartography.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Ricci’s map,\u00a0A Complete Map of the Ten Thousand Countries of the World<\/em> or\u00a0Kun yu wan guo quan tu<\/em> (\u5764\u8f3f\u842c\u570b\u5168\u5716<\/em>), is the better known of the two. It’s the first map in Chinese to depict the Americas, and has been called the “Impossible Black Tulip<\/a>” due to its rarity and importance. A\u00a0synthesis\u00a0of\u00a0European and Chinese traditions, it uses a pseudocylindrical map projection and was printed on mulberry paper panels from\u00a0six large blocks of wood.<\/p>\n

\"ricci\"<\/a>
Matteo Ricci, A Complete Map of the Ten Thousand Countries of the World<\/cite>, 1602. Ink on paper, six panels, 371.2 \u00d7 167.5 cm. Library of Congress scan of a copy held by the James Ford Bell Trust.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The 1602 map\u00a0was Ricci’s third or fourth world map, made for the Wanli Emperor; only six examples are known to exist today. The copy on display at the Asian Art Museum is on loan from the James Bell Ford Trust, and is famous in its own right: the Trust paid $1 million for it in 2009<\/a>; though owned by the Trust, it’s normally\u00a0part of the collection of the University of Minnesota’s James Bell Ford Library<\/a>. Before arriving in Minnesota it went on display at the Library of Congress, which made the high-resolution scan<\/a> you see above. (Of the\u00a0other\u00a0five, three are in Japanese libraries, one is in a\u00a0Vatican library, and one is in private hands.)<\/p>\n

\"verbiest\"<\/a>
Ferdinand Verbiest, A Complete Map of the World<\/cite>, 1674. Ink on paper, eight scrolls, 217 \u00d7 54 cm. Library of Congress.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On the other hand, the Verbiest map, called\u00a0A Complete Map of the World<\/em> or\u00a0Kun yu quan tu<\/em> (\u5764\u8f3f\u5168\u5716<\/em>),\u00a0<\/em><\/span>has never been on display before, though the exhibition’s copy has been owned by the Library of Congress since 1930 (see scan above<\/a>). Based on Blaeu’s then-recent world map (but reversing the hemispheres to put China closer to the centre), the Verbiest map displayed the world in two hemispheres. It was somewhat smaller than the Ricci map, and was mounted on eight scrolls. About half a dozen or so\u00a0complete examples remain today.<\/p>\n

Both maps were produced by Jesuit priests working in China, whose knowledge of the wider world was seen as a wedge: useful knowledge that would go hand in hand with their Christian mission. The catalogue that accompanies this exhibition explains this in some detail.\u00a0China at the Center: Ricci and Verbiest World Maps<\/em><\/a> is edited by Natasha Reichle and contains three essays: one by Ricci\u00a0Institute<\/a> director Antoni \u00dc\u00e7erler on the role played by missionaries to China in disseminating knowledge in both directions; one by Theodore N. Foss on the Ricci map; and one by Mark Stephen Mir on the Verbiest map. The first essay provides context; the latter two go into detail about the priests,\u00a0their background, their time in China, and the maps that today are known by their names.<\/p>\n

\"china-at-the-center-cover\"<\/a>At 64\u00a0pages, the\u00a0book is slim, but the essays are useful and enlightening, and\u00a0it’s full of lovely illustrations, including close-up details of the two maps, and printed on heavy paper. Most importantly, it has foldout pages with reproductions of the Ricci and Verbiest maps in their entirety. It was published yesterday and is available now for $19.95 (though as usual you can get it for less at Amazon<\/a>).<\/p>\n

I received a review copy of\u00a0China at the Center<\/em> from the Museum.<\/p>\n

Previously on the Ricci Map: Time on Ricci<\/a>;\u00a0NY Times on Ricci Map Exhibition<\/a>;\u00a01602 Ricci Map Now on Display<\/a>;\u00a0\u201cImpossible Black Tulip\u201d Coming to the University of Minnesota<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two important seventeenth-century world maps are the focus of a new exhibition opening this Friday at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.\u00a0China at the Center: Rare Ricci and Verbiest World Maps, which runs from… More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1093,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"autoblue_enabled":true,"autoblue_custom_message":"","autoblue_shares":[],"autoblue_post_url":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,2],"tags":[93,30,182,50,335,336],"class_list":["post-1081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antique-maps","category-book-reviews","tag-1600s","tag-books","tag-china","tag-exhibitions","tag-ricci","tag-verbiest"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/china-center.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1717,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2016\/04\/the-wsj-reviews-china-at-the-center\/","url_meta":{"origin":1081,"position":0},"title":"The WSJ Reviews China at the Center","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"23 April 2016","format":"link","excerpt":"Here's a review in the\u00a0Wall Street Journal of the Asian Art Museum's exhibition,\u00a0China at the Center, which I've told you about before. The show includes portraits of both as well as a half-dozen books to evoke the libraries each brought and the impact they had. Most helpful, however, are two\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Antique Maps"","block_context":{"text":"Antique Maps","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/antique-maps\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"verbiest","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/verbiest-1024x430.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/verbiest-1024x430.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/verbiest-1024x430.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/verbiest-1024x430.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1476,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2016\/04\/upcoming-symposium-reimagining-the-globe-and-cultural-exchange\/","url_meta":{"origin":1081,"position":1},"title":"Upcoming Symposium: Reimagining the Globe and Cultural Exchange","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"9 April 2016","format":"link","excerpt":"Further to my post about\u00a0China at the Center, the exhibition of rare maps now taking place at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco: Mark Stephen Mir, who wrote the exhibition catalogue\u2019s chapter on the Verbiest map, writes to share the following about a symposium coming up later this month:\u00a0Reimagining\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Antique Maps"","block_context":{"text":"Antique Maps","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/antique-maps\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2360,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2016\/07\/has-the-ricci-map-been-altered\/","url_meta":{"origin":1081,"position":2},"title":"Has the Ricci Map Been Altered?","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"3 July 2016","format":"link","excerpt":"This\u00a0Taipei Times article suggests that some copies of the Ricci map\u2014Matteo Ricci\u2019s 1602 map of the world produced for the Chinese emperor\u2014have been altered, possibly to support (or at least not contradict) the present-day Chinese territorial claim to the Spratly Islands (and the\u00a0nine-dash line). In particular, the article claims,\u00a0the James\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Antique Maps"","block_context":{"text":"Antique Maps","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/antique-maps\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"china-center","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/china-center-1024x468.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/china-center-1024x468.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/china-center-1024x468.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/china-center-1024x468.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3203,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2016\/10\/ricci-map-derivative-found-in-a-garage-sells-for-24000\/","url_meta":{"origin":1081,"position":3},"title":"Ricci Map Derivative Found in a Garage Sells for $24,000","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"31 October 2016","format":"link","excerpt":"Two dark, torn illustrations found in the garage of a Palm Springs home and listed for sale as\u00a0\"two\u00a019th century hand colored prints of the world\" turned out to be something quite possibly a bit more significant. First\u00a0identified as two panels (of six) from a 1708 Korean map,\u00a0Kim Jin-yeo's\u00a0Gonyeomangukjeondo\u00a0(\uace4\uc5ec\ub9cc\uad6d\uc804\ub3c4), which is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Antique Maps"","block_context":{"text":"Antique Maps","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/antique-maps\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1831161,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2024\/05\/new-leventhal-exhibition-heaven-and-earth-the-blue-maps-of-china\/","url_meta":{"origin":1081,"position":4},"title":"New Leventhal Exhibition: ‘Heaven and Earth: The Blue Maps of China’","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"17 May 2024","format":"link","excerpt":"Daqing wannian yitong dili quantu (Suzhou, ca. 1820). Map, Prussian blue ink on xuan paper mounted as folding screen, 112\u00d7249 cm. MacLean Collection Map Library, Norman B. Leventhal Map and Education Center. A new exhibition at the Boston Public Library\u2019s Leventhal Map Center, Heaven and Earth: The Blue Maps of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Antique Maps"","block_context":{"text":"Antique Maps","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/antique-maps\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/daqing-wannian-yitong-dili-quantu-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/daqing-wannian-yitong-dili-quantu-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/daqing-wannian-yitong-dili-quantu-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/daqing-wannian-yitong-dili-quantu-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/daqing-wannian-yitong-dili-quantu-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/daqing-wannian-yitong-dili-quantu-1.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5764,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2014\/01\/more-map-books\/","url_meta":{"origin":1081,"position":5},"title":"More Map Books","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"17 January 2014","format":"link","excerpt":"Here are some map books that I recently found out about: Mr. Selden's Map of China: Decoding the Secrets of a Vanished Cartographer by Timothy Brook (Bloomsbury Press\/House of Anansi Press\/Profile Books, 9\/13). A book-length study of the enigmatic Selden Map of China, donated to the Bodleian Library in 1659\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Antique Maps"","block_context":{"text":"Antique Maps","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/antique-maps\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1081","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1081"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1081\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1102,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1081\/revisions\/1102"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1093"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}