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Rare uncolored example (possible proof state) of Girolomo Petri's map of the Philippines, from his monumental Ecclesiastical map published in Rome in 1856.
The map illustrates the ecclesiastical provinces of the Philippine Islands, with the locations of Archbishops shown in red.
Petri was responsible for the publication of L'Orbe Cattolico ossia Atlante Geografico Storico Ecclesiastico Opera del Commendatore Girolamo Petri Officiale minutante della segreteria di Stato.
Petri's extremely rare work was by its title suggestive of works in the style of an historical atlas, but was in fact a massive 3 volume work underwritten by Pope Pius IX and intended to be the first great modern atlas to depict the Ecclesiastical regions organized by the Catholic Church at the time.
Petri's remarkable 3 volume atlas was no doubt part of the Vatican's late efforts to understand and control its vast influence around the world, resurrecting the popular concept of ecclesiastical provinces popularized in works by Nicholas Sanson and others during the 17th Century. The resulting maps are a testament to the artistry of the engravers and the relative indifference of the publisher to the commercial success of work. It is without question one of the most finely engraved and elegant works of the mid-19th Century
![Asiatic Archipelago [Early Singapore Inset]](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/66879.jpg)
![[English Edition!] Chinae, olim Sinarum regionis nova descriptio. auctore Ludouico Georgio.](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/71123.jpg)
