On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
World Map
plates by Peter Damiann and Adriaan Schoonebeek Dutch
Not on view
This is the first printed world map in the Armenian language. It was published by Archbishop T‘ovmas Vanandets‘i, whose family-run press was in Amsterdam. Made from copper plates engraved by the Dutch brothers Adrian and Peter Schoonbeek, it depicts the world as two large hemispheres and includes allegories of the seasons. The sites and allegories are identified in Armenian, allowing the Armenian merchants for whom it was produced to understand the images. A Latin inscription names the Dutch engravers and indicates the date and place of printing. A Persian inscription at the bottom reads jahan bin, or "comprehending the whole world," perhaps a nod to the potential customers—Armenian merchants from New Julfa.
Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
