An exhibit titled "Exploring the Early Americas" at the U.S. Library of Congress has been in the news lately because it displays two of the most important historical maps of America. They are the Matteo-Ricci and Waldseemüller maps drawn by the Italian and German cartographers whose respective names they bear. The maps raise intriguing questions not only about America's past, but our present.
Matteo Ricci Map
Matteo Ricci was a Jesuit priest born in 1552 in a small provincial town located within the Papal States in east central Italy. He entered the priesthood at age 19 and arrived in Macau in south China on his 30th birthday. He would subsequently rise to become the Superior General of the Papal mission in China before his death in 1610.
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Ricci was a voracious student of Chinese language, history and culture as well as being a prolific writer and cartographer. He traveled and studied widely within China, eventually becoming the first Westerner allowed inside Peking and the Forbidden City. Under the auspices of Emperor Wanli during the Ming Dynasty (whom Ricci never met directly) Ricci drew a series of world maps and atlases, culminating in the 1602 map currently on display at the Library of Congress.
This enormous map is 5 1/2 feet high by 12 1/2 feet wide. Meant to be viewed standing, the map features dense notations in Chinese painstakingly written by Ricci and carved into wood blocks before being printed on rice paper. Its current historical significance comes from the fact that it is believed to be the first Chinese map to show America, which Ricci desribes as Magellanica. Although the map was drawn to showcase China's centrality in world affairs, the appearance of America on Chinese maps represents the beginning of a major shift in Chinese consciousness of the world outside their own borders.
There were three maps drawn starting in the late 16th century, but the last map from 1602 is the only one to survive. There are six copies, and one of these is temporarily on display - through early April, 2010 - at the Library of Congress next to the Waldseemüller map.
Last year, the Ricci map was purchased for U.S. $1 million by cereal magnate James Ford Bell, an heir to the General Mills fortune. Its permanent home will be at a Library named in Bell's honor at the University of Minnesota.
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Waldseemüller Map
German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller drew his famous map in 1507 using information from sources as varied as Ptolemy and Amerigo Vespucci. Its significance lies not only in the fact that it is thought to be the first European world map to display America, but in the projection by Waldseemüller of an ocean (the Pacific) between America and the Eurasian landmass for the first time. This was happening at a moment in pre-Columbian history when the Americas were still thought to be part of the Indies.
Waldseemüller's map also proved to be uncannily accurate in matters such as the estimation of the maximum width of South America, which Waldseemüller projected to within a mere 75 miles! Theories about his methodology and the sources of his information continue to be debated by map scholars today.
The Library of Congress exhibit (through April 10th) of the Waldseemüller map alongside the Ricci map gives visitors a rare opportunity to see first hand how early America was viewed by the Europeans at the turn of the 16th century and by China at the turn of the 17th century.
While the Ricci map is on loan from the University of Minnesota, the Waldseemüller map is part of a permanent Library of Congress collection on early America and is displayed in a sealed, argon-filled glass enclosure.
Costly Maps
As noted above, the Ricci map was recently purchased for U.S $1 million by a private collector who donated it to the University of Minnesota. The Waldseemüller map, which is the only copy known to exist, was purchased by the United States Library of Congress in 2001 from a private collector in Germany for a record U.S. $10 million, making it the most expensive map in the world.
These maps are an important part of the cultural legacies of Europe, China and all nations of America. Their U.S. $11 million price tag from private collectors is noteworthy. Preserving our own history has become an expensive proposition that few of the heirs to this heritage can afford.
Further Reading
New York Times article on the LOC exhibit of both maps.
LOC exhibit, "Exploring the Early Americas."
ABC News story on Ricci map.
Wikipedia entry on Matteo Ricci.
Wikipedia entry on Waldseemüller map.
