Coloured map of China from the 1608/1612 Italian edition of Abraham Ortelius’ landmark atlas “Theatrum Orbis Terrarum”, the first modern atlas of the world. This map, which was first included in the Ortelius atlas in 1584, is based on a manuscript map by Luis Jorge de Barbuda (Ludovicus Georgius), a Portugese Jesuit cartographer. Unusually oriented to the west, the region covered by the map includes China, Japan, Indo-China, Tartaria and the Philippines. The map, which includes illustrations of wind wagons and Tartar encampments, also shows Great Wall China’s northern border, but its length has been significantly underestimated. A description of China appears on the verso in Italian. The map itself is in excellent condition but its margins have been restored with some losses to the outside neat-line; otherwise a superb, beautifully old-coloured example. 36.5 cm x 47 cm