A very rare map of eastern Asia, published by Gerard de Jode in the year 1593 in Antwerp, Belgium.

This rare black and white map,  extending from China and the Philippines to India and Mongolia, is among the most influential maps of Eastern Asia published in the 16th Century. Drawn and engraved directly after Giacomo Gastaldi's rare 4-sheet wall map of Southeast Asia, this map had a major influence on the work of later map makers.

In De Jode's excellent study of Gastaldi's maps of Asia and their relationship to the accounts of Marco Polo's travels, he notes that while Gastaldi had clearly incorporated information from Marco Polo's travels, Gastaldi had relied upon the accounts of other contemporary travellers to the east.

Most notably, the dedication to Marco Fuchero (Marcus Fugger, 1529-1597), is strong evidence that Gastaldi had been given access to the Fugger family library, one of the most important libraries compiled in the 15th and 16th Centuries. During the 16th Century, the Fugger Library was perhaps the best private library in the world, even better than the Vatican Library.

( Image shown of this map is from separated scanned images photoshopped together, and might be joined imperfectly at some parts )