East Asian Maps
Within the scope of the subproject “Coloured Maps in East Asia” hand-drawn and hand-coloured maps from East Asian areas, produced between the 17th and late 19th centuries, are examined. The research aims (1) to acquire extensive information about the colourants used for the colouring of maps, (2) to provide a general overview on the use and function of colours on maps from East Asia, and (3) on the development of map colouring traditions in East Asia. In this context, the project investigates the production of maps in East Asia in a broader context for the first time – a subject that has been neglected in research so far in the history of cartography.
The research is based on the study of numerous East Asian maps and on publications on collections of such maps kept in different institutions worldwide. Selected maps from Japan, Korea and China, kept in store at the Museum am Rothenbaum, provide the basis for several cultural-historical case studies. The majority of the maps from Japan and Korea were collected by the German geologist and mineralogist Prof. Dr. Carl Christian Gottsche (1855–1909) during his long stay in these areas in the late 19th century. The maps from China were purchased by the museum or came from donations.
Furthermore written sources on pigments and dyes in use in East Asia, reports on material science studies conducted on different maps as well as our own analyses undertaken on the collection of East Asian maps kept in store in the Museum am Rothenbaum and at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin represent major sources for our research.
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Research Associate: