An extremely ornate map by Vincenzo Maria Coronelli, the great seventeenth century Italian cartographer. This particular map is from his 'Corso Geografico Universale', 1695, and depicts the provinces of Hunan, Guizhou, and Jiangxi.

A Minorite friar, cosmographer and cartographer, Coronelli (1640-1718) founded the first geographical society, the Accademia degli Argonauti. In 1678 he built a pair of globes for the Duke of Parma that attracted the attention of the French ambassador, César d'Estrée who subsequently invited Coronelli to Paris. There Coronelli built the pair of gigantic, 15-foot globes which he presented to Louis XIV in 1683 and which would bring him fame throughout Europe. Upon his return to Venice, Coronelli was contracted by Jean-Baptiste Nolin (1657-1725) to publish a replica of these globes, scaled down to a diameter of 3 ½ -foot, and financed through subscription by members of the Argonauti.