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Description

A detailed map of the Eastern Hemisphere, including a detailed depiction of the known coastlines of Australia. Four continents are shown in elegant color. Regions, cities, rivers, and more are all named and many more mountain ranges and features are shown pictorially.

Above Japan lies a "Terra Incognita," though this does not stretch westwards. Weigel takes after Ptolomy in his description of the region, mentioning a marshy land with small inhabitants. Australia is starting to take shape, and the areas drawn are relatively accurate. Van Diemen's land (Tasmania) is shown but not named. It may be tempting to take a landmass in the south Atlantic as a hint of Antarctica, but the continent would not be discovered for another hundred years. Other than these small errors, the map is surprisingly accurate.

The many place names given are of additional interest. Sri Lanka is named "Taprobana" in the Ptolemaic tradition. Southern Africa is labeled as a "Terra Beteribus Incognita," or mature unknown land. Near Beijing lies a "Sera Metropolis," possibly referring to the city. Ptolomy is referred to often in the map, with specific chapters cited to defend cartographic choices.  The map is ostensibly a map of the Old World as it was known to ancient geographers; Weigel has preserved his modern geography but overlaid it with toponyms from ancient sources.

Weigel was a German printer and engraver from Nuremberg and worked with J. B. Homann, another famous cartographer from the city. Weigel's widow published some of Weigel's maps posthumously before their son, Johann Christoph Weigel, took over. The latter would publish with Schneider and they founded a firm which would last for another hundred years.

Condition Description
OId hand-coloring. Minor toning along fold.