Asia | 1827 | Vintage Map

This historical map is titled "Map of Asia" and dates from 1827. It is dedicated to Colonel Alexander Allan, Member of Parliament and one of the Directors of the Honourable East India Company, as noted in the elaborate cartouche in the upper left corner.
The map depicts the entire Asian continent in a cartographic style typical of the early 19th century, with fine copperplate details and subtle hand-coloring to delineate various empires and regions. To the north, the vast "Russian Empire" dominates, stretching from Europe to the Pacific and rendered in beige tones. Central Asia is shown as "Tatary" (Tartary) in pink, an area not yet clearly divided into modern nation-states at the time. Persia appears in a bluish-green hue, while Mongolia is depicted in a light yellow. A small inset map in the upper corner shows the Bering Strait and a part of the Alaskan coast, illustrating the awareness of Asia's proximity to North America.
To the east, "China" (labeled as "CHINA") occupies a large area in violet-pink, including Tibet and adjacent territories. The Indian subcontinent is colored in warm brown tones, showing the territories under the influence of the East India Company, as well as surrounding regions like Burma. Southeast Asia, with Siam, the Philippines, and the Sunda Islands, is visible at the bottom edge of the map, as are Japan and the coastal regions in the northeast.
The map contains numerous labels for cities, rivers, mountain ranges, and ethnic groups (such as "Ostiaks" or "Kalmuks"), reflecting the European, particularly British-colonial, view of Asia in the early 19th century – shortly before significant geopolitical upheavals like the Opium Wars and the further expansion of Russia into Central Asia.

Historical maps show the traces of time and their use, with these traces varying in intensity and manner depending on the map and its use. The offered print is a reproduction.

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