"Nuove scoperte de'Russi al nord del Mare del Sud…" North Pacific ZATTA 1779 map
Nuove scoperte de'Russi al nord del Mare del Sud si nell'Asia, che nell' America. Artist/engraver/cartographer: Antonio Zatta. Provenance: "Atlante Novissimo, illustrato ed accresciuto sulle osservazioni, e scoperte fatte dai piu' celebri e piu' recenti geografi", in Venezia MDCCLXXXII, presso Antonio Zatta con privilegio dell' Eccellmo Senato. Type: Antique 18th century Italian copperplate map with original hand colour. "The new Russian discoveries in the northern Pacific, in Asia, and in North America. The Bering Strait, the Arctic, Alaska, and Canada." The American/Canadian west is named "Fou-Sang", and is described as a Chinese colony; a reference to the Fusang named in ancient Chinese literature as a mysterious land to the East, and the consequent theory that North America was discovered by a Chinese Buddhist missionary in 499 AD. This theory was not comprehensively refuted until the early 20th century. The obvious inaccuracies in the map reflect the failure of early explorers to accurately chart the region, with cartographers of the time having been further misled by publication of maps showing the supposed discoveries of the entirely fictitious Admiral de Fonte (The Lake de Fonte is shown on the map).
Size: 5206px × 4041px
Location: North America
Photo credit: © Antiqua Print Gallery / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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