Bellin's Map of China, German Edition

L’Empire du Chine pour servir a l’Histoire Universelle, d’une Societe de Gens de Lettres

Our example of Bellin’s map of China, with text in French and German, and with simplified cartouches for the text on the left hand side of the map, appears to have been prepared for Johann Joachim Schwabe’s collection of English and French voyages translated into German, ‘Allgemeine Historie der Reisen zur Wasser und zu Lande’. 

Other states have wholly German text, published under the title ‘Das Kaiserthum China’. Between 1747 and 1791 Schwabe published over 20 volumes of travels, mostly derived from Astley’s Voyages and Prévost's Histoire Générale des Voyages, and many of the maps were based on Bellin’s maps, which illustrate Prévost.

Condition & Materials 

Copper engraving, printed area measurement 30 x 40.5 cm, modern hand colour, blank verso.