L'Empire Du Japon divisé en sept principales parties, savoir, Ochio, Quanto, Jetsegen, Jetsen, Jamaisoit, Xicoco ex Ximo, e

Fine early map of Japan and Korea. It's one of the best large format maps of Japan and Korea to appear in a commercial atlas and one of the most detailed maps of the region published in the mid-18th century.
With ornamental title cartouche and noteworthy topographical detail.

Map compiled by Don Paolo Santini and his brother Francesco, for their prestigious Atlas universel dressé sur les meilleures cartes modernes, a sumptuous Atlas composed of maps that rework the most up-to-date French cartography in a Venetian guise.

The maps are taken from the best geographers of his time, D'Anville, Bellin, Bonne, Borgomo, Boscovich, Clarici, Delisle, Jaillot, Janvier, Robert de Vaugondy.  Indeed, in Santini's maps, French terms are mixed with Italian, but they are offered with a compositional and engraving grace that is characteristic of them: an uncluttered toponymy, written large and clearly legible.

Santini's Atlas did not have great publishing success and came out in few copies: it was then reprinted by the Remondini, who had purchased the copperplates from Santini in 1781. To Paolo Santini's maps, dated between 1774 and 1780, the Remondini added several other maps, dated between 1782 and 1784: among them, in the second volume, the large folded maps of Italy, the Republic of Genoa, Palestine, and the large maps of Africa.

Paolo Santini (1729, Venice-1793, Belluno), Catholic priest at the Church of Santa Maria Formosa in Venice, professor of drawing at schools in the Lagooon city of the Venetian Province of the Society of Jesus. Santini, a cartographer, engraver and publisher, updated and published the maps of French geographers and cartographers Gilles Robert de Vaugondy (1688-1766) and Didier Robert de Vaugondy (c. 1723-1786), also drawing inspiration from the works of Italian cartographers, first and foremost those of Giovanni Antonio Rizzi Zannoni (1736-1814). Using, as a model, the maps collected and published in 1752 in the Atlas Universel by Gilles Robert and Didier Robert de Vaugondy, purchased in Paris by his brother, Francesco Santini, and the "best maps" of the time, Paolo Santini engraved new plates and gave to the presses in Venice, in 1776, the Atlas Universel dressé sur les meilleures cartes modernes. The following year, 1777, he sold the publishing rights to publisher Giuseppe Remondini (1754-1811) of Bassano del Grappa, who reprinted the "Atlas Universel" in two volumes that collected a total of 123 maps. The copper plates in the Santini's possession were later purchased, in 1781, by the Remondini printing house.

“The engraver, perhaps Santini himself, responsible for copying De Vaugondy's map, was faithful to the original place-names, keeping all words in French and producing a very close facsimile of the elaborate cartouche. When it came to copying the mountain chains in Japan and Korea he apparently ignored some, such as in the southwest corner of Kyūshū, or reduced their length, as in a number of places in Korea.

Publication Information

The first state was published in an atlas with a title-page dated 1776 although the map bears the date 1778. The atlas was published by the Venetian brothers Francesco, and Paolo Santini, who were editor and engraver, respectively. Paolo Santini (c.1729-1793) was born in Venice and, besides being an engraver and mapmaker, was a professor of design. Valerio (1993) writes that the Santini's were not among the subscribers of Robert de Vaugondy's Atlas Universel and that no documentation appears to exist of an agreement between the French and the Venetian publishers. He goes on to point out that the maps were copied so rigorously, giving full credit as to the source, thus probably saving them from the accusation of plagiarism. The Atlas Universel, writes Valerio, "does not appear to have been a success, and that accounts for the rarity of the first edition..."

Economic circumstances forced Santini to sell the plates in 1781 to Giuseppe Antonio Remondini (1747-1811), who continued publication of the atlas until 1804. Remondini published the atlas in two volumes but made no changes to the map other than adding his name in the cartouche below that of Santini, and placing a binder's direction in the upper right corner. Remondini "...was an audacious and bold publisher in Bassano and Venice" (Valerio 1997). The Remondini's expanded their business in a number of directions including printing, paper production and type foundry work and claimed to have made money from the re-publication of Santini's atlas, with the addition of 12 plates in the second edition of 1784. The atlas was reissued in 1804 by Joseph Remondini and sons." (Hubbard "Japoniae Insulae – The Mapping of Japan", p. 374).

Copperplate engraving, original outline coloring, in excellent condition.

Bibliografia:

Hubbard "Japoniae Insulae – The Mapping of Japan", pp. 374-375, n. 114; NMM III, 277; Nordenskiöld 276; Phillips, Atlases 647;  Gallo, “L'incisione nel '700 a Venezia e a Bassano”, in “Ateneo Veneto”, A. CXXXII, v. 128, pp. 153-214.