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Stunningly colored, gold heightened example of Heinrich Scherer's finely engraved map of the world on a modified Polar Azimuthal projection, published in Munich.
The map provides a marvelous tableau for the Jesuit impact on the world. This highly ornate and symbolic work focusing on the global spread of the Jesuit order, highlights key figures in its missionary efforts through allegorical cartouches. These decorative elements not only frame the map but also celebrate the evangelizing efforts of prominent Jesuit priests across different regions of the world.
Below are the four primary Jesuit figures depicted in the cartouches, along with brief biographical data about each:
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P. Joseph Anchieta, Apostle of Brazil: The upper-left cartouche depicts José de Anchieta (1534–1597), a Jesuit missionary and one of the founders of Brazil’s city of São Paulo in 1554. Anchieta is venerated as a significant figure in the Christianization of indigenous peoples in Brazil, where he played a critical role in spreading Christianity and establishing educational institutions. The image shows him surrounded by indigenous people, symbolizing his efforts to convert and educate the local populations.
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Ignatius of Loyola, Founder of the Society of Jesus: The lower-left cartouche celebrates Ignatius of Loyola (1491–1556), the founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). The scene shows him seated, teaching a group of followers, reflecting his foundational role in shaping the Jesuit order and his dedication to education. Loyola’s spiritual exercises and disciplined approach laid the groundwork for the global missionary activities of the Jesuits, which this map illustrates.
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St. Francis Xavier, Apostle to the Indies: The lower-right cartouche features St. Francis Xavier (1506–1552), one of the first Jesuit missionaries and a key figure in spreading Christianity across Asia, particularly in India, Japan, and the islands of Southeast Asia. The cartouche shows him baptizing converts, a scene representative of his tireless missionary work, during which he reportedly baptized tens of thousands. Xavier’s efforts paved the way for the Jesuit presence in Asia and established the order’s reputation for adaptability and zeal.
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Andreas Oviedo, Patriarch of Ethiopia: The upper-right cartouche illustrates Andrés de Oviedo (1518–1577), a Jesuit missionary who was appointed as the titular patriarch of Ethiopia. Oviedo’s mission, aimed at reconciling the Ethiopian Orthodox Church with Rome, faced numerous challenges and ultimately ended in failure. Despite these setbacks, Oviedo’s work in Ethiopia is remembered for its determination and reflects the Jesuits’ broader ambition of engaging with non-Catholic Christian communities around the world.
The Latin phraise below St. Francis Xavier quotes Matthew 28, " Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
These cartouches collectively emphasize the Jesuits’ global reach and their emphasis on education, conversion, and doctrinal rigor. The rich symbolism and vibrant colors enhance the visual narrative of this map, presenting the Jesuits not only as religious figures but as influential agents in shaping global history during the early modern period.
A gorgeous example, in exquisite color, heighten with gold leaf.
The popular misconception of California as an island can be found on European maps from the sixteenth through the eighteenth centuries. From its first portrayal on a printed map by Diego Gutiérrez, in 1562, California was shown as part of North America by mapmakers, including Gerardus Mercator and Abraham Ortelius. In the 1620s, however, it began to appear as an island in several sources. While most of these show the equivalent of the modern state of California separated from the continent, others, like a manuscript chart by Joao Teixeira Albernaz I (ca. 1632) now in the collection of the National Library of Brasil shows the entire western half of North Americas as an island.
The myth of California as an island was most likely the result of the travel account of Sebastian Vizcaino, who had been sent north up the shore of California in 1602. A Carmelite friar, Fray Antonio de la Ascensión, accompanied him. Ascension described the land as an island and around 1620 sketched maps to that effect. Normally, this information would have been reviewed and locked in the Spanish repository, the Casa de la Contratación. However, the manuscript maps were intercepted in the Atlantic by the Dutch, who took them to Amsterdam where they began to circulate. Ascensión also published descriptions of the insular geography in Juan Torquemada’s Monarquia Indiana (1613) (with the island details curtailed somewhat) and in his own Relación breve of ca. 1620.
The first known maps to show California as an island were on the title pages of Antonio de Herrera’s Descripción de las Indias Occidentales (1622) and Jacob le Maire's Spieghel Der Australische Navigatie (1622). Two early examples of larger maps are those by Abraham Goos (1624) and another by Henry Briggs, which was included in Samuel Purchas’ Hakluytus Posthumus or Purchas his Pilgrimes (1625). In addition to Briggs and Goos, prominent practitioners like Jan Jansson and Nicolas Sanson adopted the new island and the practice became commonplace. John Speed’s map (1626-7), based on Briggs’ work, is well known for being one of the first to depict an insular California.
The island of California became a fixture on mid- and late-seventeenth century maps. The island suggested possible links to the Northwest Passage, with rivers in the North American interior supposedly connecting to the sea between California and the mainland. Furthermore, Francis Drake had landed in northern California on his circumnavigation (1577-80) and an insular California suggested that Spanish power in the area could be questioned.
Not everyone was convinced, however. Father Eusebio Kino, after extensive travels in what is now California, Arizona, and northern Mexico concluded that the island was actually a peninsula and published a map refuting the claim (Paris, 1705). Another skeptic was Guillaume De L’Isle. In 1700, De L’Isle discussed “whether California is an Island or a part of the continent” with J. D. Cassini; the letter was published in 1715. After reviewing all the literature available to him in Paris, De L’Isle concluded that the evidence supporting an insular California was not trustworthy. He also cited more recent explorations by the Jesuits (including Kino) that disproved the island theory. Later, in his map of 1722 (Carte d’Amerique dressee pour l’usage du Roy), De L’Isle would abandon the island theory entirely.
Despite Kino’s and De L’Isle’s work, California as an island remained common on maps until the mid-eighteenth century. De L’Isle’s son-in-law, Philippe Buache, for example, remained an adherent of the island depiction for some time. Another believer was Herman Moll, who reported that California was unequivocally an island, for he had had sailors in his offices that claimed to have circumnavigated it. In the face of such skepticism, the King of Spain, Ferdinand VII, had to issue a decree in 1747 proclaiming California to be a peninsula connected to North America; the geographic chimera, no matter how appealing, was not to be suffered any longer, although a few final maps were printed with the lingering island.
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