Scarce Valk & Schenk edition of Jan Jansson's highly decorative map of northeastern China and Korea.

The present map is very geographically advanced for its time and depicts the provinces of Hebei (Pecheli), Shanxi (Xansi), Shandong (Xantung), Henan (Honan), and Jangsu (Nanking). A legend identifies cities and towns of various sizes, forts, as well as mines for gold and iron. The massive Great Wall of China forms the northern border and the important salt flats are graphically illustrated along the coast. Beijing assumes the name Xuntien and Shanghai is named Sungkiang.

The title cartouche is of the very distinct auricular style favored in the contemporary Netherlands, and is flanked by Chinese Mandarins. The other cartouche, containing the scale of miles, is surrounded by putti. Three ships sail in the sea between China and Corea (Korea), which is noted as being a peninsula.

The map is based on the groundbreaking work of Martino Martini (1614-61), a legendary Italian Jesuit missionary and scholar. Martini arrived in Beijing in 1644 just as the Ming Dynasty fell to the Manchurian rebels (who formed the Qing Dynasty).

Following in the footsteps of his fellow Italian Jesuit Mateo Ricci, Martini sought out the very best maps and surveys of the Chinese Empire. He compiled a series of maps that were by far the most accurate depictions of China to date.

Martini's suite of 17 maps was first published by Joan Blaeu as the Novus Atlas Sinensis, which accounted for volume 10 of his Atlas Maior (Amsterdam 1655). The present edition of one of the most important maps was issued shortly thereafter by Blaeu's rival Jan Jansson. Martini's work was described by the great German geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen, as:

"the most complete geographical description of China that we possess, and through which Martini has become the father of geographical learning on China."

Indeed, even Jean-Baptiste du Halde's Description…de la Chine (Paris, 1735), published 80 years later, did not fully supersede Martini's work.