Portolan Charts

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P O R T O L A N C H A R T S

THEI R ORIG IN AND CHARACTERISTICS

W ITH A DESCRI PTIV E LIST OF THOSE BELONG ING TO

THE HISPANIC SOCIETY OF AM ERICA

D ARD L T R T E W U E S E E S PH . H V N ON , D .

NEW Y ORK

191 1 OPYRI G HT 1 1 1 C , 9

BY T HE HISPANI C S OC IE TY OF AMERI CA

t he knicketbocket pteas. n ew mom CONTENTS

T PORTOLAN CHAR S . BIBLIOGRAPHY DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF CHARTS AND ATLASES I N THE COLLECTION OF THE HISPANIC SOCI ETY OF AMERICA : H 1 T GI ROLDI 5H . GIACOMO , EARLY CENTURY N 1 468 PETRUS ROSELLI , . O 1 470 O . NICOLAUS DE NICOLO, - F T 1 5 E L H ANONYMOUS . A E T ‘ O VES CONTE I 1 51 2 DE MA OLO, J ’ N FRED CI 1 24 C D H OCTOM A NO U C 5 . CON E , Q OT H OMANO FREDU CCI L E CONTE DE , AT AS OF FIV CHARTS, 1 537 ° 9 1 GT H T ANONYMOUS, EARLY CEN URY 59 1 GTH ANONYMOUS, EARLY CENTURY 1 L 1 T 0 . G H ANONYMOUS, ATLAS OF THREE CHARTS, EAR Y CEN TURY 1 1 L OE L I 5TH . BAPTISTA AGNESE, AT AS FOURTEEN CHARTS, EAR Y CENTURY

1 2 . L L BARTO OMEO O IVO, AFTER

1 3 . H I ERONY M O GI RI VA , AFTER 1 552 52 BARTOLOMEO OLIVES,

60 . 53 1 L 1 5 . 5. GIOVANNI MARTINES, AT AS OF SEVEN CHARTS, AFTER

1 . 55 L I 563 . 1 6 . J L S X AUME O IVES, AT AS OF CHARTS, 1 566 1 7 J . . AUME OLIVES, I 1 58 1 FI 582 . . 8 . V GIOVANNI MARTINES, ATLAS OF CHARTS, 59 1 9 L 1 6TH . . . ANONYMOUS, AT AS OF FOUR CHARTS, LATE CENTURY 1 590 2 0 . L T DOMINICUS DE VILLARROE , A LAS OF SEVEN CHARTS, CIRCA 21 1 597 . VINCENTIUS PRUNES, L ANONYMOUS, ATLAS OF THREE CHARTS, SECOND HA F OF 1 GTH CENTURY

23 . L 1 6T H 66 ANONYMOUS, ATLAS OF THREE CHARTS, ATE CENTURY

24 . I 6T H . ANONYMOUS, CENTURY 2 5 1 GT . L H . ANONYMOUS, ATE CENTURY

26 . VOLCI US 1 600 . VINCENTIUS DEMETRIUS ,

27. L 1 605 MAIO O E VISCONTE, .

28 . J L 1 7 H . OANNES O IVA, EARLY T CENTURY

29 . PLA IT AL L I TH C US C VI RO 7 . ET O IVA, EARLY CENTURY

30 . I ARLY I 7TH ANONYMOUS, CENTURY . 1 3 . J IS LLI I 1 637 . OUAN BATT TA CAVA N , 5 32 . 1 5 . ROCKLER 6 0 . . 7 GEORG ANDREA , ATLAS OF FOUR CHARTS,

REPROD UCTIONS

1 560 F on tis ie c e I . L . r GIOVANNI MART NES, AFTER CHART ONE OF AT AS p

FACI NG PAG E

VES CONTE I 1 51 2 1 2 DE MA OLO,

T OT H OM ANO FREDU CCI 1 537 . TW O L 1 6 CON E DE , CHART OF AT AS . .

I 6T H T . T 22 T I W O . BAP STA AGNESE , EARLY CEN URY CHART OF ATLAS .

DARTOLOM EO I T 1 550 32 OL VO, AF ER

1 552 40 BARTOLOMEO OLIVES ,

J I 1 563 . T T E . 50 AUME OL VES, CHAR HR E OF ATLAS .

J 54 AUME OLIVES,

I T 1 52 . OF T 8 . 58 G OVANNI MAR INES, CHART ONE A LAS

T E 1 582 T L 0 W O . . 6 GIOVANNI MAR IN S, . CHART OF AT AS

N T 1 52 T T L 2 8 . 6 GIOVA NI MAR INES , CHAR HREE OF AT AS . .

I VALLARROEL I 1 590 . L 66 DOMIN CUS DE , C RCA CHART THREE OF AT AS . .

1 GTH T TW O ANONYMOUS, SECOND HALF OF CEN URY . CHART OF

. ROCK LER 1 650 . T W L O . GEORG ANDREAS , CHART OF AT AS

PORTOLAN CHARTS

MONG the ge o gra phic a l records o f earlier centuries

h to in A w ich have come down us , none are more te re stin g than the portolan charts W hich were drawn durin g the years ﬁttin gly designated the period h of great geographical discoveries . T ey attract and hold

o f the attention by reason their artistic features , as well as by their remarkable approach to scientiﬁc accuracy f o r so early a period . To the cloister maps o f the middl e ages they present

n a marked contrast . The former strikingly exhibit the i fl ue n c e o f e . I n cclesiastical and classical tradition general , they are far from truthful in the ir presentation of the ge o graphical features of the earth . Though highly interesting as reflecting geographical notions o f the time in which they were drawn , they possess little value as scientific maps . Portolan charts are based upon careful and W hat may be called scientific observations . It is only in recent times that there has been an improvement in the charting o f

o f the region to which most them pertain , that is , the Mediterranean and the Atlantic co as t in varying extent to the north and the south o f Gibraltar . They too ex bibit the geographical interests of the period to W hich they belong . They are the creations of seamen , navi

- W ho in gators , explorers , chart makers were leaders the expansion of geographical knowledge which opened the

o f m . New World region Africa, of India, and of A erica

This brief word concerning the origin , character, and

o f n general significance portolan charts , the first moder scientific maps , is presented as an introduction to a de s criptive list of the numerous originals belonging to The

Hispani c Society o f America . An inquiry into the his tory of portolan charts which have been preserved to o ur day leads immediately to a query concerning their o rigin . None of those extant are known to have been d 1 30 0 rawn prior to the year , and the oldest example bearin g date and signature is that o f Pietro Visconte o o rd e n skiOld f the year 1 3 1 1 . N thinks that the normal

to portolan chart, as he chooses call it, that is , the one

o f which served as a sort original pattern , must have

o been constructed s metime during the thirteenth century,

u f o r from n merous coast sketches such , example , as those which may be found in a cosmographic poem by L r L a s e m . eonardo Dati , bea ing the title f The argu m ents in support Of the assumption seem reasonable , yet the fact remains that no dated portolan chart o f that

( century, as has been stated above , is known ; neither are s uch sketches known as those to which No rd e n skiOld re

. An fers , antedating the fourteenth century interesting record, however, is that to be found in a work by Guil laume de Nangis describing the crusade o f King Loui s

’

I X . 1 2 0 in 7 , noting that the King s ships had sea charts

n e o on board . I the voyage from Aigu sm rte s to Cag liari , the port selected for the rendezvous of the ships making up the expedition, they were overtaken by a s o f torm , and at the end the sixth day, as Cagliari had n o t W yet been reached, the King expressed a ish to know

the o f . exact location his ship The pilots , we are told, 2 to him to the brought their charts , and showed him that di port was n o t far stant . Theobald Fischer has advanced the theory that porto la n z an i n ds charts have a By tine origin, and F ori i hol

i n o t 0 D n 1 0 0 A. that Ital an navigators , long after lear ed from the Greeks o f Constantinople ho w to make and ho w to use charts which were founded o n draw ings and di measurements , and that in succee ng years they grad uall m y i proved them . Again the fact confronts us that n o o f z o r n portolan chart By antine Greek origin is know , nor is the evidence o f such eastern inﬂuence traceable in existing charts . The ﬁrst thousand years and more of the Christian

’ era have left us none of the s ailors charts which may have been employed during those ce nturies . Ptolemy alone of the ancient writers alludes to the

o n e o charts of seamen , and might c nclude from his refer e n c e s that such as he had in mind were not un like the portolan charts which we have here under consideration .

But all these to o are lost . As there appears to be a relationship existing between the ancient periplus , the Italian portolan , and the porto

o o f — lan chart f the period discovery , which chart at ﬁrst was doubtless regarded as a very useful addition to the

to portolan , coming in time supplant it as the know

o f —a ledge seamanship expanded , more extended refer ence to the character of the periplus and o f the portolan will ﬁttin gly in troduce us to the portolan chart .

’ The Greeks used the word n epz yz ito v; to designate a

r o r i i cou se harbor book , literally a sa l ng around , a cir

n a to c um avig tio n . It was not applied a sea chart or to

o rt la n a collection o f sea charts . The Italian word p o o,

h n n w ile not precisely synonymous, has a mea i g strik 3 to as ha s in gly similar this Greek word , also the English

tte r ro teir word ru , the Portuguese o and the French

r n o t ro u tie . The term portolan should be employed, as

to the has s o frequently been done , designate charts

o n which especially interest us here ; the contrary, they should be called portolan charts , and this rather than

o r s . loxodrome compas charts , as will appear later We have no information that the seamen o f antiquity were in possession o f instruments by which to direct their courses in the open sea . The sun and stars might guide in to cloudless weather , but a cloudy sky brought terror the sailor who had ventured upon a course which led beyond the horizon o f known coast lines . Coasting was

the with ancient mariners the more common practice , and

’ u t more seful to them than a seafarer s chart , which migh be employed in navigating from port to port across a

de sc ri trackless and unknown sea , would be a written p tion of the seas over which they were prepared to travel

o V — a o f and the c asts they had to isit , description the harbors , the shoals , the currents , the winds , and the

f o r facility anchorage . Of coastwise navigation in antiquity a few accounts

’ o f Ne a rc hu s have been preserved to us . The story voy

o f h age from the mouth the Indus to the Eup rates , in

o f l the time A exander the Great , is the story of an

o f expedition which was regarded as one great daring , w and orthy the highest praise , but many of the incidents o f the expedition show how meagre at that time was the

’ knowledge o f real seamanship . The apostle Paul s j our ney from Cae sarea to Rome was in large part a coastwise j ourney, and its incidents vividly set forth the dangers

n and hardships o f early navigation . O e wonders that so long a time was required for the expedition of the 4 Emperor Justinian to pass from Constantinople to the

u north coast of Africa , but this expedition , req iring

n o t three months , was directed over the shortest course ; instead it too was a coastwise j ourney, in so far as was

o f ZE e a n possible , leading among the islands the g , along

a the coast of Laconia, to Sicily, to Malta, thence cross

o re the open sea to Tunis . In each f the expeditions

’ u ferred to, the peripl s must have been the pilot s guide book rather than the chart . I t is generally accepted that the oldest kn own peri

c la x a r a plus is that ascribed to S y Of C ya n d . Neither the exact year n o r the exact century can with certainty f be given as the time o its composition . Herodotus re

I . . lates in Book V , chapter xliv , of his History , that

the greater part of Asia was explored by Darius , for

o f he wanted to know where the river Indus , the second all rivers in which crocodiles are found , ﬂows into the

o u t sea, and to this end he sent several trustworthy men, ”

S c la x Ca r a n d a . W e ho w among them y of y cannot ,

S c la x to ever , be certain that the y here referred is

a f . o m o the uthor of the periplus S e the records , con ta in e d in this periplus relate to geographical facts

h o f w ich belong to a time later than that King Darius , while others in it allude to an earlier day . To all

o f appearances , the greater part it must have been writ ten shortly before the time Of Alexander the Great ,

o o r and from the standpoint f Macedonia Greece, seeing,

e a as Kretschmer has not d , the author refers to a ro d from Corinth o n the west coast over the isthmus to o u r

e sea as forty stadia in length . It includes the entir

o f i r b e circuit the Med ter anean, with a few omissions , ginn ing at the Pillars of Hercules o n the European

as Ta n a is co t , tracing this coast eastward to the , thence 5 n As to L arou d ia Minor and the Levant Egypt , ibya , a n d the African coast to a po int opposite that of de

ur the r hi part e , and terminating at island of Ce ne , w ch ’ a island, it is st ted, is twelve days coasting beyond the Pillars of Hercul es where the parts a re n o longer ” n o f o f avigable because of shoals , mud, and seaweed . The information given is conﬁn ed to the immedi ate coast regions with attention directed to the physical features

the of the land, to the peoples , the rivers emptying into

to sea, the harbors , headlands , and shoals , with an occa sio n al reference to inland cities in close touch with the

. di coast The stance from port to port is given , it being stated at the conclusion o f his reference to the European coast that o n e hundred and ﬁfty- three days are needed

to ﬁve for a coastwise j ourney from west east , and that ’ hundred stadia might be recorded as a day s sail . The following quotations will serve to indicate the

o f n o t um o f character this periplus , which is a doc ent great literary worth , though it has a unique value for the history of geography ” s o f I shall begin , says the author, at the Pillar

to Hercules in Europe , and shall continue the Pillars

o f of Hercules in Libya , and to the land the great

ul Ethiopians . The Pillars of Herc es stand opposite to ’ o n e each other, and the distance between them is day s

C . sail . Not far distant lie two islands by name adeira ’ On o n e o f these is a city which is distant o n e day s

e sail . Beyond the Pillars Of Hercules which are in Europ , d there are many tra ing stations of the Carthaginians , ” also mud , and tides , and open seas . He notes that the

to Iberians are the ﬁrst peoples be met with in Europe , ” to hi and refers a Greek town w ch is called Emporium , “ adding that its inhabitants are colonists w ho came from 6

n the city Of Massilia . Seve days and seven nights are necessary f o r coasting along the country o f the ’

n . to Iberia s Referring the Ligurians , it is noted that they are to be found beyond the river Rhone as far

An tium . o as Here lies the Greek city and p rt Massilia,

o f Ta urn o is An also the colonies Massilia , , Olbia , and tium . It re quires four days and four nights o f coasting

n t from the river Rhone to A ium . The entire region from the Pillars of Hercules to An tium is very rich in harbors . Concerning Libya , it is stated that it lies

o o beyond the Co n pic mouth f the Nile . The ﬁrst peo

t d rm c hid ples o be met with are the A y a ae. From Tho n is

to 1 50 the j ourney Pharos , which is a desert island , is stadia . In Pharos , there are many harbors , but the ships get drinkable water at Marian . From Pharos to this port is a short sail . Here is also a peninsula and

To 2 0 0 a harbor . this point is stadia . Beyond lies the

P in n P n Bay of l thi e . From the mouth of the Bay of li thine to Leuce Acte requires a sail o f one day and o n e n o f ight, but if you should sail around the head the bay

n e twice as much time would be re quired . O next comes

o f to the city Apis , and as far as this point the country ” is governed by the Egyptians . In this wise the entire

i f o l Mediterranean coast region, with m nor omissions , is lowed with attention directed to the time required in day and night sailing to pass a designated territory, to

o f the inhabitants the regions passed , to the towns , espe c ia ll y those of Greek origin, to the geographical features , with an occasional reference to the mann ers and customs o f o the peoples . If a chart accompanied the periplus f

S c la x to o f . y , there is left us no knowledge it In addition to this oldest and most elaborate o f all n e ri lo i k own p p , certain early descriptions Of limited e o f r gions have been preserved , as the periplus the Black

Arria n w ho o n e Sea by , at time was a prefect of Cappa

t e docia . His description is given in a letter to h Emperor

’ Hadrian . It could hardly have been intended as a pilot s

- f o r guide book , though it contains valuable information those who had occasion to navigate the Black Sea coasts .

o T the above may be added a fragment by Marcian,

o f probably the ﬁfth century of the Christian era, which includes a part of the Asia Minor coast , and an anony mous periplus of the Black Sea valuable for its record o f n o t distances only in stadia, but also in Roman miles . Among those interested in the preparation o f charts

f o r and sailing directions seamen , a place of importance

o f . o ur is held by Marinus Tyre Strangely enough , know ledge of him and his work is conﬁned to what we may gather from the works of Ptolemy , who lived in the second century o f the Christian era . In chapters

’ ’ — o f vi xx Ptolemy s geography, Marinus contributions

a n d is in this ﬁeld are critically treated , from what n there stated, we are justiﬁed in inferri g that he had carefully examined n mn e ro u s itineraries and accounts o f voyages , that he had prepared a chart to include the

r a t regions he desc ibed , and that he gave particular tention to the coasts in his work , which was primarily intended for navigators . Ptolemy tells us that in his own work he improved upon that of Marinus , although he gives to the Tyrian full credit for what he had done . W e probably have in some of the Ptolemy maps the rep re s n t e a tio n s o f Marinus . There is reason for believing that there were marine charts passing under the name o f o f Marinus of Tyre, in the second century the Chris tian era , which charts were in use by the pilots of the 8 a es s c stl , or other buildings , sand hills , rocks , small island ,

dl o r a n n hea ands , forests , with an occasion l war i g that great care shoul d be exercised in navigating certain waters . Apparently it included in its original form the entire Mediterranean and Black Seas . Starting at

the Alexandria , which city therefore is suggested as

to home of the author, it followed the coast the Pillars o f t n Hercules in Africa , then from the same star ing poi t to ul eastward, continuing to the Pillars of Herc es in

Europe . It is especially interesting to ﬁn d that instead of limiting the periplus to a continuous description o f the

o f o f coast the mainland , a periplus of many the islands is given , notably of Cyprus and Crete , with which de sc riptio n s the S ta dia smo s is concluded . Numerous dire c tions are given for sailing from island to island , or from

is n mainland to island , that , for crossi g the sea diagon ally ; also f o r sailing in various directions from certain

- ﬁve points , as from Rhodes in no less than twenty

o r . directions , from Delos in sixteen directions Such statements as the last suggest a possible ex planation f o r the introduction o f crossing points as they

o n appear later the portolan charts , though on these charts the radiating points , it is true , have not generally been placed at conspicuous ports , but appear rather to have been inscribed regardless o f any particularly im portant geographical centres . The S ta dia smo s is an exceedingly valuable record for the study of the historical geography o f the coast regions covered and may well be considered the most important m docu ent known , linking in a sense the older Greek pe riplo i with the later Italian portolans . A brief extract will serve further to indicate its 1 0 — character . 1 . Sailing westward from Al exandria to

Che rso n e s s f o r s u is 70 stadia . Here is a harbor mall

— maea 9 0 e . 1 Phe n icu s to H e r v ssels 3 . From is

r stadia ; anchor here with the cape o n your right . The e — di 1 4 . I t 2 0 is water here in a tower . is sta a from H e rmzRa to Leuce Acte ; nearby is a low island which i is distant tw o stadia from the land . Boats carry ng e merchandis can anchor here , entering by the west wind, but near the shore below the promontory there is a wide roadstead for vessels of a ll kinds . Here is a temple of

Apollo , a famous oracle . Near the temple there is ” water .

o f In the periplus of Cyprus , which is a part the

Sta dia smo s : 2 9 — , we ﬁnd , for example 7 Acamas to

30 0 . Paphos , with Cyprus on the left , is stadia The city is located toward the south . It has three harbors which

t o f A hro are accessible with all winds , and a emple p — . 4 8 0 dite 3 0 . From Pedalium to the islands is t stadia . Here is a deserted town called Ai n mo c ho s us ; it has a harbor, and may be approached by all winds , but there are low rocks at the entrance . Enter with care '

f o r n In the directions the circum avigation of Crete,

— ro m we ﬁnd such information as the following : 33 6 . F

Bie n n o n P ha la s sa n a n to r a is 1 6 0 stadia . Here is an c ho ra - e Old . g , a market place , and an city The island

I n sa ura g is distant 6 0 stadia towards the east . It has a harbor and near the harbor a temple o f Apollo . Here

o f 3 l is also another island at a distance stadia , cal ed

Mese ; it has an anchorage . The third island is called

- M le . y The channel is deep . It has a market place . If to the above pe riplo i of the Mediterranean we

o f 4 5B 6 C. add the account the expedition of Hanno of . 1 1 o f a s o along the coast Africa, perhaps as far Sierra Le ne ,

o f which account contains much information interest , not

o f S c la x unlike in character that given by the periplus y ,

o f Avie n u s and the Ora Maritima , describing in like

e manner the Atlantic coast of West Europe , we hav practically all in the Wa y o f directions f o r seamen that

r is prese ved from antiquity . The middle ages having little o r nothing of value to re se n t — a _ p few scattered extracts from earlier writers ,

o f n o — w e a few maps special value to navigators , may, therefore , pass directly to a word concerning the Italian portolans .

The Italian portolan , as has been stated , resembles i the Greek periplus in style and composition . Th s sug gests that these later sailing directions are a development

. n o t from the former Such a relationship , however, is

at all easy to establish , since no example is known clearly

representing the transition . There is , moreover, in the Italian portolan that which gives it the appearance o f

o f a new and an independent production . Very many the places along the coasts have names other than those in the early pe riplo i ; a large number o f new names

o f o ld m appear ; many the ones are o itted , which fact suggests that places once known as important had ceased to be so considered ; distances are given in miles instead

of stadia, and direction is usually recorded . The number of portolans kn own antedating 1 50 0 is f n o t . o large In all there are about sixteen, some these

te being mere fragments , others are very nearly comple

f o r the regions under consideration, and most of them

in are in manuscript . Those coasts may be said to be cluded in the Italian portolans which Italian traders were

the accustomed to visit , that is , the coasts and islands of 1 2

o f Mediterranean, the Atlantic coast Europe as far as

o f Flanders , the south coast England and Ireland , with the Atlantic coast o f Africa to the vicinity o f Cape

Boj ador, including the Canary Islands . It is interest in g to note that these are the coasts included in the great maj ority of the portolan charts , with additions , as geographical knowledge expanded , until they became in some instances world charts . The latest Greek periplus o f importance— the Sta dia smo s— is of the fourth or ﬁfth century ; the Oldest of the ae o f medi val portolans is the eleventh century, and is to be found in the E c c le sias tic a l H is to ry o f Adam o f

o f Bremen, being rather an imperfect sketch the coast from the mouth o f the Maas River to Acre in Pales

o f tine . The text this portolan , together with the text o f the others known, may be found in a critical work

r m D ie ita lie n is c he n P o rto la n e d e s M tte l by K etsch er , i

— 552 . a lte rs . 2 33 , pp The following somewhat free translation of passages contained in the Parma - M a glia b e c c hi portolan o f the early ﬁfteenth century will serve to illustrate the char a o f cter these Italian harbor books prepared for seamen . “ — r n r 45. From Ca mi a to Cartagena is 2 0 miles northeast by east . Cartagena is a good port at all seasons , before which port there are islands a mile dis

Y o u tant . may pass between any o f these islands and

o u the mainland which forms a point . As y enter the

o f port , beware shoals . Sail close to the middle of the

o u channel , but towards the northeastern shore , where y may anchor . Beware of sailing too close to a shoal

o n . recently discovered the east side Enter the port, ’ i keeping the mainland about two prows lengths d stant , where you have six and six and a half fathoms o f 1 3 . 1 445 i water About the year , it is said , a sh p was did wrecked here during a calm, though the vessel not

o f strike a rock . The landmark Cartagena is a high bald mountain on the east . On the west lies another

to . mountain . Between is the entrance Cartagena Near the entrance lies an island, and you may pass between this and the mainland . Passing the island , you enter ” - deep water, and a good anchoring place . — - 54 . From Sallo to Barcelona is 60 miles east north east, quarter east . Barcelona is a city with a shore which lies toward the east having a roadstead with a

o f 2 2 depth paces , in front of the city . On the south east by south o f B arcelona is a lo w place called L o b ri

. to gato In departing , steer the east from the shore , taking notice o f a castle which rises from a depression leading toward Sallo . hi The landmark of B arcelona is a gh, abrupt, and isolated mountain called Monserrate . When you are

o f l northeast this , continue in that direction, and you wi l Observe a low mountain with a tower o n it c alled Mo n gich ” (M o n tguich) Here is Barcelon a . “ 56 — m San Filio to P a la mo sa is 1 0 miles

- la o sa . P a m east northeast , quarter east is a good port facing a tower where you may anchor . In case you

o f come from the east, take care a shoal that is close to

P a la o - the point . From m sa to the anchoring place of

- 1 2 . Acqua Fredda , miles east northeast, quarter east D o n o t approach neare r the land than o n e and a

o f half miles by the beacon . The landmark this bay is

n to a high mou tain , bald and cut sheer the sea, with islands in the distance . It may be noted that the portolans make their a p pe ara n c e with the awakening Of the commercial activities 1 4 tions ; the elements o f a compass chart in which the compass has played a part in determining location and direction ; the elements of the ancient periplus— the Old est known pilot - book f o r navigators ; the elements o f the

ae h de sc ri medi val portolan , w ich is a more elaborate p tion than is the former o f coasts and harbors and sailing directions ; and that we ﬁnd in the portolan the chief corner - stone on which rest the charts here under c o n sid e ra tio n — hence we may very appropriately call them

o f portolan charts . It may be further stated by way explanation that Ca rta n a utic a is the term which is gen e ra lly employed by Italian scholars in referring to these

o rto la n charts . With them the word p o signiﬁes only a

- - o r . coast harbor book The chart makers themselves , in

r refe ring to their work , most frequently used the word

c a rta . On the oldest dated portolan chart , we ﬁnd the legend Petrus V e s c o n te de j anua fecit ista carta anno ” m CCCX I o n do ini M , and in a legend the ﬁrst chart

o f 1 3 1 3 ta bula s . his atlas of , we ﬁnd the word employed

1 6 0 5 c a rta In a chart dated , Maiolo uses the term n ut c t a i a o ria . Occasionally the word employed by a chart - maker to refer to his work is merely the personal

Vic e n tiu s M a o ric a rum pronoun , as Prunes in civis j me fecit ann o Portolan charts have been preserved in very large

o f o n e 1 50 0 . number, which number near hundred antedate In the sixteenth centur y unaltered in their fundamental character but more highly decorated than those of the fourteenth century, and having additional details , they become far more numerous . With a few exceptions , they

o f - are the work Italian and Catalan chart makers , a fact which is especially true of the earlier examples . Herein is a most signiﬁcant witness of the leadership exercised 1 6 7 CONTE DE OTHOMA FRED I 1 53 7 CHA RT W A LA . NO UCC , T O O F T S . by the seamen o f the Italian and o f the eastern Ibe rian

o Pen insul a ; a leadership held f r near half a millennium , i beginn ng as early as the eleventh century, and continu in g until America had been discovered, Africa had been

m to circu navigated, and the water route the Indies had b een made known .

o n In general they are drawn parchment , as has been

o r stated above , that is , on sheep skin , goat skin, calf

i to sk n , but in time paper came be used, after which i the number of charts of th s general character , with addi tions of numerous details for the interior regions , was

- greatly increased bv means o f the printing press .

in r They are preserved two fo ms , either in single

o r sheets , in sheets bound together, as an atlas , and these atlases , in a few instances , contain as many as twenty

- or twenty ﬁve charts . In size the sheets vary from

1 1 x 1 5cm . in the very remarkable charts of the Tammar L o xo ro atlas o f the fourteenth century to 70 x

1 4 8 . cm , the size of the large single sheet chart drawn by Pareto in the ﬁfteenth century . The larger world

Ca n e rio o n charts , as the , were drawn two or more

y . parchment sheets , which were securel j oined together

o f In the case the single sheet charts , the size , it seems , was most often determined by the size of the skin o n which it was drawn , it being true in most cases that the entire skin was used , even the neck being retained , which fact accounts f o r the peculiar and apparently un n e c e s sary extension o f the sheet usually o n the left . In the portolan atlases , the several leaves were often made of two sheets o r skins pasted together on the rougher sur face , leaving the smoother surface for the drawing , which surface received the colors to much better advantage .

These charts , as before stated , include in general the 1 7 o regions which are referred t in the portolans . The

n e si gle sheet charts mbrace the Mediterranean , and the Atlantic coast of Europe which te rminates in the north either at Cape Finisterre or the Scandinavian

ul o f a Penins a, with a part the B ltic Sea and the British

. s islands In the ea t they include the Black Sea, in the south a part of the Red Sea and the north coast o f

i to Africa , with the Atlantic coast of th s continent a point near Cape Boj ador . In the atlases the Mediterranean is usually divided into three sections with o n e chart for each ; o n e chart

o n e o r includes the Black Sea , and two set forth the

Atlantic coast regions . If additional charts were added they usually included

o r tw o a world chart , one for the African coasts , one

r o n e f o r perhaps for the B itish islands , the Baltic , and o n e o r more for the southern Asiatic coasts . A superior example o f an enl arged though early portolan atlas is that recently issued by The Hispanic Society of America in facsimile , being a reproduction of a British Museum manuscript , and edited by the author Of this monograph .

ro e c tio n le ss d o Portolan charts are p j , that is , they n o t appear to have been drawn according to mathematical principles or rules , though they were probably based upon i measurements and careful calculation . Their strik ng approach to accuracy, especially for the Mediterranean

o n e o f region, is , as before stated , their most remarkable

. N o the v features two are alike , and yet have so many features in common that it appears they are copies o f mm a co on original , or that there has been a conscious imitation by each chart - maker as he has set himself to

- his task Of chart making . It is well established that most Ro man maps were 1 8 oriented with the south at the top , an arrangement which is to be met with in the ma jority o f Arabic maps . Maps o f di ae the early me val centuries have the east at the top , and on the uppermost border a representation of the

to earthly paradise , as if give this prominence , it being perhaps the chief factor in determining the orientation .

Portolan charts , with rare exception, are oriented with the north at the top , an idea which has since prevailed

n in all map construction . Herein o e seems to ﬁnd evidence of the inﬂuence o f the compass in chart construction . A critical examination will show that in the draught

to ing the chart is turned slightly the left , the amount being near one point of the compass . As a result of

o n o f this , geographical localities , the right the chart

to o to . for example , are placed relatively far the north Although there is in this fact the suggestion that the com pass had been employed in their construction , or in

a re making the Observations on which they based , and that the declination o f the needle had exerted an inﬂu

um ence , it may be noted that an acceptable arg ent has been advanced showing that Constantinople on maps since the time o f Ptolemy had been placed too far north by at least two degrees . It appears , therefore , that the error in part is o n e handed down from an early day . The existence of the error will be readily se en o n a critical examination of the location of any selected point 1 o f in the eastern Mediterranean . As to the length the

to Mediterranean from east to west , the near approach accuracy is also most striking . The error in very many o f - the sixteenth century maps , traceable to Ptolemy, and

o n appearing his maps , is nearly twenty degrees , whereas

1 id R u NO. 22 f o r a n x . V . eprod ction e ception 1 9 on the portolan charts the error seldom exc eeds o n e degree . Into a critical consideration o f the problems o f scale

r and distance as represented in portolan cha ts, we shall

to n not be able enter in this brief description . It is i te re stin hi g, however, to note in t s place that the same scale does n o t appear to have be en employed f o r the

Atlantic coast that was employed for the Mediterranean .

n o t Though this fact is always strikingly prominent, yet 1 it is clearly indicated in a large number o f the charts .

“ Herein we may ﬁnd an explanation for the frequent dis to rtio n of the coast regions lying beyond the Straits o f

ta o f Gibral r, and for the fact that the extension Europe in latitude is greatly reduced . It may further be noted, as a partial explanation o f some o f the portolan chart ’ makers errors , that it is physically impossible to represent on a plain surface correct distances , retaining at the same

c r time or ect latitude and longitude . A scale o f miles divided into ﬁfths or tenths is usu

r n ally d aw on these charts , Often in as many as four o r f o f ﬁve di ferent places , and frequently on charts later years in a very elaborate cartouche . It is Often very evi dent that the drafting Of such a scale was not done with careful attention to accuracy . U z ie lli is of the opinion

o f 1 4 that it was the Roman mile 8 1 m . which was gen r e a lly taken as the unit of measurement . 1 50 0 Prior to , degrees of latitude and longitude were seldom if ever indicated on portolan charts , and it may be noted that degree s o f latitude are ﬁrst to be met with

r o f Ca n e rio on the marine cha t , recently issued by the author o f this paper in size of the original .

o f A feature these charts , never failing to attract , is

1 R i u O. 20 . V d . eprod ction N 2 0

u o f di to i feat re portolan charts , though ad ng little the r scientiﬁc value . The suggestion has been made that the crossing lines

s n were originally intended as construction line , bei g laid down by the draftsman to guide him in sketching his coasts and in locating his places o f special geographical ne s o b e i t rest, but few are the instances which might

o f o n e cited in support the theory, that is safe in asserting it to have been the rule with chart - makers to insert the lines after their charts had been drafted .

In the ancient day, it was a common practice with

w ho to those had occasion to refer such matters , to de signate each quarter o f the heavens by the wind which

r w a s blew from that quarter . The no th Boreas , the west

Z dire c was ephyrus , and the number of winds , that is,

to to tions , at ﬁrst limited four, was increased in time

- eight, then to sixteen . The Italian chart makers , in general , referred to the winds as eight in number, Often representing them on their charts in the wind or compass roses by the ﬁrst o r initial letter o f the name . These eight winds were Tramontana , the north , represented by (D the needle point the northeast Greco G, the east

L 2 evante , represented by the Greek cross the south east Scirocco S , the south Ostro O , the southwest

Libeccio L , the west Ponente P , the northwest 1 Maestro M . We ﬁnd herein a suggestion that the crossin g lines were originally intended to represent the

i . direction of the w nds , that is , direction In time , with

o f the more general use the compass , the older practice yielded to the newer practice with seamen and direction came to be referred to in terms o f compass points rather

1 Re 2 f r n x ll ll i u NO. 1 o a us ra . V d . prod ction e ce ent i t tion 22

o No rth than in the names f the winds , as for example , ,

N b E NNE NE b N . y , , y The information as to geographical details which is

n o t contained in portolan charts , though extensive , is of

much historical interest . It will be observed that the

l in coast ines , general , have been sketched with care , and

nl usually are continuous , broken o y where rivers are

represented as emptying into the sea . Bays and head

if n o t lands , accurately inscribed, show that the chart maker must have had before him information which had

been intelligently collected . In some instances , the coast

r n ul appears as a succession of short cu ved li es , the res t of

to f d n o which is add a feature o rugge ness . Legends are t

to a n d l inscribed directing attention rocks shoa s , but these

are indicated by small dots o r crosses along the coast lines . Care seems to have been exercised to have all islands

a represented , and while generally located with a near p

to O n to o ut proach accuracy, they are ften fou d be much

o f proportion as to size . The technique of portolan c harts is by no means

complex , as the geographical information, especially in

to o f the earlier charts , is limited the coast the main — Or o f . f o r land , the islands Place names are numerous

o f l the u the coast the Mediterranean a one , n mber some

i — n t mes exceeds one thousand and these names , ru ning

directly inland from the coast, with rare exceptions were

in f o r written small letters , though the regional names , w hich were inscribed in the later charts , capitals were ,

employed . Since the names ru n landward from the coast

l o n e lines , it wi l therefore be noticed, as examines the

t o f chart , having the nor h above , that many the names

are inverted . A large maj ority o f the place names are

in black , but it is a striking feature that many are in 23 so red , and it is usually the same names written in the several charts . This fact appears to have n o other s ign iﬁ cance than that a certain special importance then attached, o r t o . at least once attached , the place entered in red As these charts were intended primarily for the use o f f o r a t seamen, there was naturally little occasion tention to the geographical features o f the interior regions . These regions , wanting all reference to physi

in cal features particularly the earlier charts , have ,

o f therefore , a certain prominence by way contrast , being

f o r blank save the crossing lines . With the passing

o years , more and yet more f geographical detail came to have representation o n inland regions . River courses in time were represented , though at ﬁrst with striking inaccuracy : mountain ranges were made to cross certain s ections , but clearly attesting the want of exact informa tion : important cities were Often made more conspicuous 1 o f by means pictures , but cities represented in the interior s how a want of knowledge o f their exact location . Terri to ria l o f boundaries do not appear , but many the separate states bear their respective names , and often in addition are distinguished by an appropriate and highly orna

- — me n te d o f . f o r coat arms Castile , example , has the

t o n quar ered ﬁeld with the castle a red, and a red lion

u a on silver, gro nd ; Aragon, a red stand rd in a gold ﬁeld ;

r Portuguese ter itory , a banner having ﬁve dots in a blue

ni ﬁeld ; the K ghts of St . John , a silver cross on a red

li o f . ground ; Venice , the gold on St Mark on blue

u nn gro nd ; Turkish territory, a ba er displaying the half

n t moon ; regions remote and unknow ; as Tar aria , by a

o o r ruler n his throne an elaborately drawn tent .

1 Fo r m Vid . u Of u o f G a . 2 8 f m Ba o l o reprod ction pict re eno , p , ro rt o e

OliV O. 2 4 to In addition the features just described , legends

to were Often inserted , where space permitted , referring the products of the region bearing the legend , or to the character o f the in habitants o f the same . Much of this

to information appears have been derived from Pliny,

S o lin u s P 0 10 , Isidor , or from travellers such as Marco ,

o r o r Nicolo di Conti . Such legends descriptive records

n o f are , however, generally conﬁ ed to the world charts the portolan type which occasionally are to be foun d in

f o r o f portolan atlases , as example , in the atlas Bianco o f 1 4 3 6 o r in such as the Catalan world chart of about

1 4 50 e o f , belonging to the Royal Est nse Library Modena ,

o w o n e Italy . N and then ﬁnds the earthly paradise

me diwva l . represented, as in cloister maps Gog and

- Magog were often located by the chart makers , as was

n Prester Joh , properly adorned as a Christian ruler, and in the Atlantic we frequently ﬁn d the so - called fabulous

S a ta n a xa islands such as Antillia , , Isla de Man , Brasil,

St . Brandan . Many of the portolan charts are both signed and dated , while many are wanting such inscriptions . Where author and date legend is given it is usually found in se rte d o n the left of the sheet and is very brief , as , Petru s Roselli c o mpo su it hanc c a rta m in civitate ” 1 r M a io ic a rum ann o domini M cccc lx iij . It is seldom e to o asy determine the exact age f an undated chart , remembering that such as are dated frequently contain records which clearly indicate carelessness o n the part o f - ﬂ o f the chart maker or the in uence tradition , as may b e o f n seen in the representation a ban er, after the authority so indicated in a locality has been overthrown . A noted instance o f such false record is the representa

1 id . R 2 . V eproduction No . 2 5 tion o f the cross o f the Kn ights o f St . John over the island o f Rhodes long after that island had fallen into the hands o f the Turks . It may further be stated that one is n o t always jus tiﬁe d in giving to a chart a date prior to a known great geographical discovery seeing

n o - that such event is t recorded . Portolan chart makers were generally inclined to make ful l use in their o w n records Of that which they found at hand . The maj ority o f them were loth to break with tradition or to correct

, to o f an error, yet we cannot deny some them a place of leadership in trans - marine discovery as we ﬁnd in their c r to ha ts islands laid down far the west in the Atlantic,

o f n o t the insertion which, though always resting on

to authentic discovery, unquestionably served embolden such navigators as were eager f o r the ﬁnding o f new lands . It remains to refer to o n e o f the most attractive fea

o f . tures portolan charts , that is to the colors employed In some o f them the work o f the miniaturist o f the period is seen at its best . In the earliest examples color was but sparingly used , but with the advancing years

o it became more and more a feature . The compass r

i t i to w nd rose, at ﬁrst simple in charac er, seemed in t me o ﬁ e r to the chart - maker an opportunity to display his

n o sense Of the artistic, and t infrequently we ﬁnd roses which are very elaborate . Banners to be truthful pre se n ta tio n s needed color, and they often appear in great

e numbers and in brill iant tones . Much care was f r quently given to drafting designs in which to inscribe

o f o r o f the scale miles , to the addition a suitable border f o r f to m the chart . The e fort emphasize the i portance of certain cities led to the addition o f ﬁn e bits Of mini a

’ ture work to the chart s decorations . 2 6 the larger seas and oceans were covered with waving

o r rt blue green lines , as may be seen in the Catalan cha of 1 450 .

e Such then in origin, character , and importanc are portolan charts with which modern scientiﬁc chart o r

- c o n map making had its beginning . Apparently ﬁrst structed in the thirteenth century they multiply rapidly

ce n throughout the fourteenth, ﬁfteenth , and sixteenth turie s as before stated , retaining most of the characteristics

f o r exhibited in earliest examples . Though remarkable

e their near approach to accuracy, it appears not a littl surprising that the learned chart - makers of the sixteenth century did not in general accept them at their value ’ mi until Ptolemy s maps , by actual astrono cal measure ments , had been shown to be inaccurate . With seamen, however, these manuscript parchment charts remained in favor long after the invention o f printing and its use in the multiplication of maps and charts .

28 B IBL IOGRAPHY

ER D T to H O O U s : History . Vid e passages relating Near

S c la x e t a l. chus , Hanno , y , — LI NY : . P Natural History , iii vi

CA OLU S MU LLERU S E n : G e o ra hi raec i R [ ] g p g minores , — i 59 6 . o f c la x . . i . . 1 Vide S , pp for the text y , , pp — 42 51 4 o f S ta dia smo s . 7 , for the text the PTOLEM Y : Vid e various editions of his Geography for

reference to Marinus .

l 1 8 8 9 . O D NSKI OLD : . N R E Facsimile Atlas Stockho m,

’ Vid e f o r a review o f Ptolemy s contributio ns in the

o f . ﬁeld geography, with references to Marinus

D I h 1 8 9 . V f o r O NSK OLD : . ide N R E Periplus Stock olm , 7

m o f a a sum ary of accounts early m ritime expeditions ,

e ri lo i with extensive extracts from the p p , also refer

a t o f ence to portolan ch rts , their charac er, standard

measurement , legends , with numerous reproductions .

I ELL I L P : bio ra ﬁc i U Z I E AM AT DI S . F I P o Studi g e

biblio gra ﬁc i sulla storia della ge o gra ﬁa in Italia .

. . 1 8 8 2 . Vol ii , Roma, An extensive list of portolan

charts with brief descriptions . Bibliography , pp . 3 — 0 3 3 1 2 .

FI SCH TE . : ER, Sammlung mittelalterlicher Welt und Seekarten italienischen U rsprun gs un d aus italien

. 1 8 8 6 . ischen Bibliotheken und Archiven Venedig , Contains chapters o n portolan charts which are

scholarly . 2 9 P o rto la n e K TSCH M K. : RE ER, Die italienischen des

1 9 0 9 . Mittelalters . Berlin, This contains a sum

r n o t i N o rd e n skiOld ma y, unl ke that by in his Peri

plus , but is not in all points in agreement with that

o o f t work . It c ntains the texts the known por olans , with a list of names to be found in portolans and

portolan charts . An exceedingly valuable work .

CANAL : E Storia de commercio , dei viaggi , delle scoperte

’

1 8 6 6 . e carte nautiche degl Italiani . Genova ,

’ ‘ im U I TKE H . : Z ur W , Geschichte der Erdkunde letzten

r Drittel des Mittelalters . Die Karten der seefah en

l d . V Oke r Sii e u ro as . 1 8 1 den p Dresden , 7

LELEW EL o du a e e , J Gé graphie moyen g , accompagné ’

4 . d Atla s e t de Cartes dans chaque Volume . parts — 5 1 8 52 . Bruxelles , 7

- Atlas composé de cinquante planches . Bruxelles ,

1 . 8 50 This published to illustrate the preceding work .

ANTAR M : X I V X V S E Atlas composé des Cartes des , ,

X V I X I I e e t , V si cles pour la plupart inédites ,

’ devant servir de preuves a l o uvra ge sur la priorité

’ de la découverte de la c Ote occidentale d Af rique

a u a du . del cap Boj ador par les Portugais Paris ,

1 8 41 .

AT I P S chiffe rka rte n M KOV CH . : , Alte handschriftliche

z u . 1 8 63 . in den Bibliotheken Venedig Wien ,

U CA . DE : e vo L , G Carte nautiche del medio designate

. 1 8 6 6 . in Italia Napoli ,

D SI M ONI C. : Ca rto ra ﬁ E , Intorno ai g italiani e di loro

l . lavori manoscritti e specia mente nautici Roma,

1 8 77.

E A C. : X I V al RRER , Atlanti e Carte nautiche dal secolo X VII conservati nelle bibliote che pubbliche e private

. e o ra ﬁc a . . 1 8 9 6 . di Milano In Rivista g g Ital , iii 30 BI ARCEL G . : u . e , Recueil de Port lans R production

élio r h e h g a p iqu .

e t X I V X V Choix de cartes de mappemondes des ,

e . 1 si cles 8 9 6 . Raccolta di Mappamondi e carte nautiche del X III a l X V I On a n ia . secolo [ g ] , Venezia Seventeen charts

o are repr duced in photograph .

T V ENSON . L . : o f S E , E Marine World Chart Nicolo de

Ca n e rio a n u e n sis . Y o 1 9 0 8 . J New rk, More than ﬁve hundred portolan charts and atlases are referred to by U z ie lli e Amat which are to be found

f - in ﬁ ty four public and private libraries . Re ferring only to the larger collections , it may be mentioned that ninety

ﬁve o f these charts and atlases are to be found in Venice , the maj ority of them belonging to the Biblioteca Mar

- to ciana , and the Museo Civico ; sixty six are be found in

Florence , chieﬂy in the Archivo di Stato and the Biblioteca

Nazionale ; ﬁfty- two are liste d as belonging to the British

- N a z io n .Museum ; twenty six belonging to the Biblioteca ale o f Naples ; seventeen to the Bibliotheque Nationale o f Paris ; seventeen to the Archivo del Collegio di Pro pa ga n d a in Rome ; sixteen to the Biblioteca Ambrosiana o f o Milan . In the other c llections designated the number varies from one to ﬁfteen . Comparatively few portolan charts and atlases are to be found in the libraries of the

U is nited States . The largest collection that belonging

o f to The Hispanic Society America , in which there are

- tw o o f d thirty , the great maj ority which are here describe for the ﬁrst time . In the Edward E . Ayer collection o f o f the Newberry Library Chicago , there are twenty o n e o f : in the Library Congress three , and in the John Carter Brown Library of Providence there are tw o re

a r m ka bly ﬁn e atlases . 31 1 . I C G I ROLD I 1 5 G A OMO [Probable] , early th

century .

r 53 9 2 ' A portolan chart of the early ﬁfteenth centu y, x cm . in size . Neither the author nor the exact date can

mi . be deter ned with certainty It contains , however, numerous features which suggest that it is the work of the above - named author and its date cannot be far from

\ 1 4 2 5. S a mmlun Mitte la lte rlic he r W e lt a n d [Fischer , g

S e e ka rten . 1 53 , pp One other portolan chart by

1 4 2 2 o Giacomo is known, dated , which may be f und in the

o f National Library Paris , and three of his atlases bearing

1 42 6 On dates , respectively, [reproduced in photograph by 1 4 t 4 3 1 44 6 . gania] , , and This particular chart is here ﬁrs

. r n described It includes the Mediter anea , together with

o f the Black Sea , the Atlantic coast Europe to Fries

o f land , the British Islands , and the coast Africa from l Gibra tar to Cape Cantin . The chart is crossed by the usual lines , having two complete systems of crossing points , with sixteen points in each group . The centre o f o n ZE e a n o n the group the right is in the g Sea , that the left near San Sebastian in Spain . On both the upper and the lower border a scale o f miles is given . The faint

o f o n indication a scale the right , where the tongue ex tension appears , should not be considered as representing degrees of latitude . 32

the whole o f Europe except Russia and the S c a n din a

vian region , the north coast of Africa , the Canary, the

r Madeira, and the Azores Islands . In the Atlantic the e “ ” l are numerous fabulous islands including brazil , i la “ ” “ ” de moni [Man] , antilia, tamar . These islands

’ ’ o f 1 43 6 are located as in Bianco s chart , Pareto s chart

’ o f 1 4 55 f 2 e as o 1 4 8 . , and in B ninc as chart The details which are inscribed in the interior regions

are very numerous . Across the north of Africa stretches the Atlas range o f mountains ; the Al ps are represented in Europe ; the Carpathian in Austro - Hungary ; the

Sierra Nevada in Spain, and Mt . Sinai in northwestern

Arabia . The larger cities are distinguished by groups

o f o f turrets and banners , eleven which are in Africa ; six are in Europe on a river evidently intended for the Danube ; Venice and Genoa are given their usual prom

in e n c e , and a conspicuous line of cities is represented

in the Baltic region . The tents in the interior o f Africa give a rather undue prominence to the rulers o f that

o section . On the north coast f Africa are numerous Mohammedan banners ; o n the west coast are those of Portugal ; the Papal banner ﬂies over Avignon ; those

o f Castile and Aragon give prominence to Spain . Such decorations as these are particularly numerous on other

parts of the chart . An interesting survival from early Christian centuries is the idea o f giving to the Red Sea

to a color appropriate its name , and this idea, together with the representation at its northern extremity of the

o f a crossing place the Isr elites , ﬁnds expression on most

o f the portolan charts which include that region . Roselli drew much of his information from charts o f

the previous century . It is especially interesting to ﬁnd that there are numerous features resembling the Catalan 34 chart of 1 3 75. Though the map is somewhat stained

eo and torn , its colors are well preserved , and its g graphical nomenclature , with few exceptions , can be easily read .

3 . IC DE IC 1 4 0 . N OLAUS N OLO , 7

- 1 4 0 A well drawn parchment chart of the year 7 , in 5 6 1 0 1 . size x cm In the tongue Of the sheet , which

o n in this instance is the right , appears the author legend, ”

c c c c lxx . Nicolaus de Nicolo M . Nothing appears to

- be known concerning this chart maker , who probably w as o f a native Venice , other than is contained in this

o n e . 1 8 8 2 to example of his work In , according

o rd e n skiOld N . , it belonged to Count Pietro Gradenigo

o f It includes the east coast Italy and Sicily, the

ZE e a n o f Adriatic , the g , the Dardanelles , the Sea Mar

o f mora , the Bosphorus , and the southwest coast the

is Black Sea , with the west coast of Asia Minor . It drawn in large scale , has neither compass roses nor scale o f n miles , though the usual sixteen crossing poi ts with the connecting lines appear . The islands o f the Adriatic

o f are made especially prominent, and the lagoons Venice have been inscribed with great care . None o f the cities i have been d stinguished by picture , nor do regional names appear .

The chart is well preserved , though slightly torn on

o f the edges , and is an excellent specimen early Italian parchment . 5 4 . C R 1 r ANONYMOUS HA T, late th centu y .

o f 5 A portolan chart the ﬁfteenth century, 7 x 9 1 cm . in size . 35 o f Though its author, probably of the city Venice , is

n n o f u k own, there is the suggestion in some its details

o f re that it may be the work Petrus Roselli , as in the presentation o f the Jordan and other features o f that

o m e r . c aste n region Compass lines are numerous , but

o n pass roses are wanting . On the upper and the lower

in border a scale of miles is represented . The chart c lud e s the Black Sea , a part of the Red Sea, and the i Med terranean as far west as the Balearic Islands , which region lies in the tongue extension o n the left . The c a re oasts colored, as are also the islands ; Rhodes has the cross of the Knights of St . John . Flags and ban

n . ers are numerous Some of the important cities, as

o n Venice , Rome , Belgrade the Danube, Damascus , Jeru salem, and Cairo are represented by interesting colored pictures .

Mt . Sinai is inscribed as an important locality on

r o f . which is placed the Monaste y St Catharine . The Danube is laid down as a river ﬂowing directly east

a t ward, having several large islands its mouth . The w Jordan, having its source in a mountain , topped ith a

n tw o castle and a ba ner , ﬂows through lakes .

The names are well written, as is usual in red and black , being in Italian and occasionally in the Venetian

. r o dialect It is well prese ved, except in parts f its margins .

5. E E 1 51 2 V S CONTE D I . MA OLO ,

o f 1 51 2 A portolan chart the year , having the very

m 5 . 5 9 0 . com on tongue extension . It is x cm in size In the upper corner o n the left is a characteristic in sc rip

V e sc o n te c o m o su a rt tion, de Maiolo p y hanc c a m in 36 d Oi 1 51 2 1 1 Neapoli de anno die j any, near which author legend is a well - executed miniature o f the Virgin and Child . V e sc o n te de Maiolo belonged to a distinguished Ital ian family of chart - makers whose work has been pre

in i t served numerous examples . Fourteen s ngle char s a n d atlases are known to have been made by V e sc o n te 52 1 50 4 1 54 9 . o f 1 from to His world chart 7, original in the Ambrosiana , Milan, has been issued by this Society

NO . 1 0 in colors of the original , and was included as in a facsimile atlas of charts illustrating early discovery and

o f exploration in America, issued by the author this paper.

1 51 2 N o rd e n skiOld b e This chart of , according to ,

2 o f longed in 1 8 8 to Count Pietro Gradenigo Venice .

It includes the entire Mediterranean , the Black Sea, the Atlantic coast of Spain from Gibraltar to Cape

o f Finisterre , the coasts Africa as far south as Cape

Boj ador , with the Madeira and Canary Islands .

Compass roses are small and are not numerous . On

o n o f the upper and the lower border, a scale miles is

n . draw Continental coast lines are colored , as are most of the islands , Rhodes being marked with the cross of the

o Knights f St . John . The several coun tries are designated by appropriate

ﬂags . Cities , distinguished by pictures , are numerous , among which Barcelona, Valencia, and Lisbon appear

- Of - in Spain ; Avignon has the papal coat arms , and

o f Genoa south the Alps , is made especially prominent , being the native place of Maiolo . Six cities are located on the Danube River, which is represented as rising in a mountain in Central Europe , ﬁve are in northern

Africa, and in Palestine Jerusalem is appropriately represented with an elabo rate church ediﬁce topped w ith 37 i a Christian bann er . Addit onal interior physical fea tures are the Atlas Mountains stretching a cross the north

t o f of Africa with s riking colors green and red, and the i Sierra Nevada in Spain . The N le , the Rhone , and the di Danube rivers are all stinctly drawn, though not accurately . The names are in re d and black and are in the Italian language .

s v in The chart is well pre er ed , being injured only certain parts o f the border .

D T ANN E D U CCI 1 52 4 . 6 . C H OC OM FR ON E O ,

o o f 1 52 4 3 9 60 . A port lan chart the year , being x cm in l size . It is attached to a wooden ro ler, and has marks of nails in the margin which suggest that it may at one

’ time have been fastened to the walls of a ship s cabin .

. y o . On the extreme left is the author legend , m g Conde H o c to ma n n o Fre duc c i de Ancona la fatta nel

U z ie lli to According to e Amat , it once belonged the

Marquis Girolamo di Colloredo in U dine . It contains the usual sixteen crossing points with the radiating lines , but is without compass roses . In the extension o f the sheet to the left is given the

o n o r scale o f miles . It has neither degrees f latitude longitude indicated .

r t The chart contains the Black Sea , the northern pa

the of the Red Sea, with the usual representations , and

Mediterranean as far west as the Balearic Islands . Con tin e n ta l coasts are colored , as are most of the islands .

o f the The cross Knights of St . John covers the

o f island Rhodes . Coast names are remarkably well 38 n written, and exquisite mi iatures of Venice , Damascus ,

o f . Jerusalem, Mt . Sinai with the Convent St Catharine

e . having a subscribed leg nd , and Cairo adorn the chart A few rivers are repre sented emptying into the Black

Sea ; the Nile delta has been made prominent , and in

Palestine the Jordan River and lakes are inscribed , to

a o f the e st of which is a range mountains , each peak having a name .

r Aside from a few water stains , and slightly to n margins , the chart is in excellent condition .

E AN R D 5 . . C DE OTH OM O F U CCI 1 3 7 ONTE , 7

o f o n n An atlas ﬁve portolan charts drawn parchme t,

o n . and mounted pasteboard Each chart is 3 5x 4 5cm . in size . It has an excellent pigskin binding with a title in f o . . gold stamped on the front the cover, Portolano m s t ” l 6 h century.

The author was a distinguished Italian, and appears

- n o to have been a very productive chart maker, as less

o f than eight his atlases are known, and at least ﬁve of

- his single sheet charts .

o f Y hs v o . On the left chart four is the legend , ma g n i . Fre du c c n Conte de Otho ma o , de A cona , la fatte nel ”

. c c c c c xxx . to ano M 7 This atlas , according Nordens kiOld 1 8 8 2 , ﬁrst became known in , at which time it was the property o f Luigi Arrigo ni o f Milan.

The sixteen crossing points arranged in a circle, about a central crossing, together with the lines which radiate from each point and connect it with every other point

tw o o n to save the its immediate right and left , give

o each chart a very attractive appearance . Each f the 39 ﬁve charts has wha t appears to be a scale of miles marked

o f o n e across each its four corners , and compass rose

o f c o n has been draw n o n chart three . The borders the tin e n ts r o f are colored, and are represented as a se ies

o r large and small curves ; islands are red , green , blue , gold ; the nomenclature is in Italian , and written in red or black . Turreted buildings which represent cities are exceedingly numerous , but are small , and are sketched very artistically .

i o f Of 1 . Chart one represents a sect on the coast

Spain , with the coast of Africa from Gibraltar to a

e o f point n ar the mouth the Senegal , and the Madeira ,

o f Canary, and Azores Islands . Near the parallel the

o f Canary Islands , and somewhat inland , is a legend some length . The Azores , the Madeira , and the Canary

Islands are practically loc ated o n the same meridian .

o f o f The island Lancillotto , which is at the centre the

c o n circle of radiating points , has the Genoese cross s i o p c u u sly marked .

2 . Chart two represents the Atlantic coast o f Europe

to t from Gibraltar Holland , including also in the nor h

England, Scotland , and Ireland , with numerous small ” ” Y xo la Mo n to riu s islands , among them de till , , and “ o f isola de man , and to the west Spain the Azores d . dis Islan s England , Scotland , and Ireland are tin u is g he d by regional names artistically drawn . Across Ireland is written a legend as if to explain the sign iﬁ

o n cance of a great bay the west , which is thickly studded with small islands : Laon s fortunatus ubi sunt in sule que ” d c un i t in c ule s ec beate Ii c c c lxxij .

3 . Chart three represents the western Mediterranean with the island of Maj orca placed at the centre , and otherwise made conspicuous by its color . Coast names 40

di a n m o f are excee ngly numerous , with unusual nu ber

c o names in the Balearic group of islands . The one m pass rose o f the atlas is to be found on this chart in northern Africa . 4 . Chart four includes the Mediterranean from a meridian slightly to the east of Sardini a to the extreme western coast of Asia Minor . The regi on represented

r is ve y striking by reason of its details , a fact especially to be noted o f the ZE ge a n Sea . Al ong the border o n the right appears the author legend quoted above .

5. Chart ﬁve includes the eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea , with the bordering regions . Rhodes is conspicuously marked with the cross o f the Knights of St . John , and Cairo , though not designated by name , is represented by a large group o f buildings stretching along the Nile .

The atlas is remarkably well preserved .

8 . ﬁ o f 1 6th . ANONYMOUS , rst half century

A chart o f the ﬁrst half of the sixteenth century,

47 x 74 cm . in size . Though its authorship cannot be

to l determined, it may be referred as an exce lent example

o r of Catalan Spanish draftsmanship , having its nomen c la ture in the language o f eastern Spain . u While clearly belonging to the sixteenth cent ry, it

- is based very largely o n ﬁfte e n th century originals . Compass roses a re few and are very s imple in design . In addition to the crossing lin es running diagonally

lin over the sheet , there are es which cross at right angles , apparently drawn to represent latitude and longitude , at

o f o . intervals eight r ten degrees These lines , however, 41 e a r not designated as graduation lines. Four scales of miles are indicated wi thout special ornamentation .

The chart includes the entire Mediterranean, the

Black Sea, and a part of the Red Sea , which is colored

red , having at its northern extremity the crossing place

of the Israelites indicated, the Atlantic coast of the

n Iberian peninsula southward from Cape Fi isterre , and

a very limited section o f the coast o f Africa . Regional

am o f n es are omitted , but in each the continents the

largest cities are especially distinguished in picture , as

B a b e lo n ia . Genoa , and Cairo which is called The colored

in ﬂags and banners inscribed are especially numerous ,

n n o t cluding the papal ban er over Avignon, though over

n Rome , the Spanish banner over Spai , Mohammedan ban

n ers in Africa and the East, the cross of the Knights

of St . John over Rhodes , but not over Malta . Christian powers are represented as holding sway over a part of

o f the Balkan peninsula, Asia Minor, and the coast the

Black Sea . The Sierra Nevada M o un ta ms In Spain are especially

tu conspicuous , being the only interior physical fea res

represented .

h . 9 . l 6t ANONYMOUS , early century

n o f A parchme t sheet the early sixteenth century, 4 8 8 2 . . x cm in size Though its author is unknown , it

o f clearly is Italian origin , the nomenclature being in

the language o f the peninsula .

On the left is the tongue extension , apparently used for

hanging the chart , on which extension is a miniature

o f n o t picture Christ o n the cross . Graduation is indi

c a te d o n u o n , but the pper and the lower borders a scale 42 i n e of m les is draw , each in an elaborately ornament d cartouche .

The chart includes the entire Mediterranean, the

“ an d Black Sea, the Atlantic coast , beginning at Cape

Finisterre , and terminating at a point near eight degrees

o f . w down the coast Africa The coast lines , dra n with a pen , are colored, as are the rivers . As is usual in such charts , most of the names are in black , but many are in red . Fifteen compass roses o f different sizes and designs

n n are draw , and are co nected by the crossing lines .

The three continents are each designated by name , which

. o f name is written in a scroll Pictures cities , ﬂags and

o r banners are wanting , Jerusalem Palestine being dis tin gui she d by the representation o f a mountain ( G o l

o gotha) with three crosses . Over the islands f Rhodes

re re and Malta the cross of the order of St . John is p

e . l s nted The chart is wel preserved , being torn but

o n i slightly the border, through wh ch nails have been

’ to o f driven , perhaps for attaching it the walls a pilot s cabin .

1 0 . 1 6 r . ANONYMOUS , early th centu y

A portolan atlas bound in pasteboard cover , contain ing three charts of the early sixteenth century . Each 3 chart is 7 x 57 cm . in siz e .

Neither the author n o r the date is known . Judging

ul o f in partic ar from the character the ornamentation,

e NO . it s ems to be a French w ork [ vid . The nomenclature is French , Spanish , and Italian . The w riting is in rather an un usual running style . Very much of available space is covered with elaborate scroll 43 and feather designs in brilliant colors . Compass roses

o f are numerous , but are not elaborate . Degrees

o n o n e n o t o n latitude are indicated chart , a meridian,

o n but in three sections , with that section the extreme left indicating degrees from the twenty - second parallel to - ﬁrst the thirty , the next section near the coast of

- r - Spain from the thirty ﬁ st to the forty fourth parallel, and the third section some distance to the west of the

- - coast o f Ireland from parallel forty four to ﬁfty eight .

o c 1 . Chart n e includes the Atlantic oast regions — from Holland Olanda to a point near Cape Verde , with the British Islands , the Azores , the Madeira , and

r the Cana y Islands , and the Mediterranean to the Gulf of Genoa . ” The regional names include Europa , Olanda, ” ” ” ” I sc o tia I n la te rr Irland , , g , France , Spag ” “ ” “ ” to nia, Africa , Barbaria . In the Atlantic the

’ ” west of Spain is the legend, L ocean occidental , and near it an elaborate ornament containing a shield with

n the French lily topped with a royal crown . In Spai is the Spanish shield with the imperial double eagle . Much attention was given to the ornamentation o f the sheet .

2 . Chart tw o includes the n ean with the border ” ” ” in . N a to lia g coasts The names , Candia , Morea , ” Grecia, Romania are inscribed . The sheet is somewhat injured by water stain .

3 . di Chart three includes the entire Me terranean, ” - and, like the preceding, is over decorated . Europa , ” ” Asia, Africa, Barbaria are inscribed . The chart is much faded . The atlas is n o t o n e o f great value ; though contain ing practically all that may be found in the better Italian 44 o f portolan charts the period , it was apparently designed for display rather than f o r use .

I l 6th . 1 1 . BAPT STA AGNE SE , early century

A portolan atlas of the ﬁrst half o f the sixteenth

re re century , containing fourteen charts preceded by p

—o - se n ta tio n s of coats f arms and astronomical tables . Each

page is 2 8 x 4 1 cm . in size .

The atlas is neither signed nor dated , but the work manship is so strikingly characteristic o f Baptista Agnese

that o n e can hardly be in error in ascribing it to him.

Its date cannot be far from 1 545. Agnese was a proliﬁc

- o f . chart maker, many whose atlases are extant He ex hibite d remarkable skill as a draftsman and miniaturist,

and held a foremost place among the Italian chart - makers

to of his time . His work , however, appears have been done rather f o r the libraries o f princes than for the use

of mariners .

The o n e o f n atlas is his largest , contai ing not onl y those charts which usually are to be foun d in

n N o s . his atlases , but certain importa t additions as thir

teen and fourteen .

i a The several charts have retained their br lli nt colors ,

with blue coast outlines , and with the numerous small

in . o n islands red , blue, or gold Interior regions some

o f e the charts contain numerous vignettes and ﬁgur s , with far more than the usual references to geographical

s features , though having withal numerous and curiou

inaccuracies .

- — Page tw o o f the atlas contains two coats o f arms

o n similar in general design , with a third page three of l ike character . Declination tables are given o n page 45 r t l o n four, an a millary sphere is artis ica ly sketched page

o n six o f di ac ﬁve , and pages and seven the circle the zo with the several signs very artistically designe d .

1 . o n e d o Chart , occupying double pages , as all the i charts , being in size with n the narrow black border line

3 5 50 . o n x cm , includes the Paciﬁc Ocean , with America

o f the right , and on the left a small section of the coast

M a luche Asia, with the insule The Atlantic coast of America is represented from Labrador to the Strait o f o f Magellan, with an omission on the extreme east

Brazil . The Paciﬁc coast includes Lower California and

G ul n o the f of Califor ia which is col red red , thence it extends southward to about latitude omitting the remaining section o f the coast to the Strait of Magellan .

o f di Degrees latitude and longitude are in cated, as are

o f also the tropics and the equator . In the centre the chart is a combined compass and wind rose encircled with the sixteen crossing points from which the usual

- thirty tw o lines radiate . tw 2 . Chart o includes the Atlantic Ocean with

o f o f o n Africa , a part Asia and Europe the right , and o n o f the left the east coast North America , the east

o f m and west coast South A erica , omitting the Paciﬁc ° coast from latitude 1 2 to the Strait o f Magellan . The nomenclature is very rich , both for the Old and for

. T he the New World , and is remarkably well preserved

o f chart contains the crossing lines , degrees latitude and longitude as in chart one .

3 . Chart three includes the Indian Ocean , with the

African coast from the Gulf of Guinea eastward , and the southern Asiatic coast to China . The general fea tures o f the chart are the same as are represented in the precedin g . 46

ff coast of Dalmatia . This chart di ers greatly from the

to preceding, the author attempting produce not only a sea chart but a land map as well . The entire surface

- i to is covered with a pale yellow color shad ng light green .

Mountain ranges are especially conspicuous . The P 0 River with its numerous branches ﬁlls the lo w plain of northern Italy . The Tiber and the Arno rivers have a source in the same lake . Sicily, Sardinia , and Corsica are very prominent .

e a n a 1 0 . Chart ten represents the ZE g Sea as it p

n o f pears i most portolan atlases . The island Rhodes is conspicuous with the red ground and the gold cross .

Other large islands have the entire surface either green ,

o r . red , gold Crete has a city with harbor prominently marked o n the north coast .

1 1 . Chart eleven is a world chart including prae

No s . o n e tically the same as may be found in , two , and

. o f o f three The whole the north Europe is , however, represented with the Scandinavian peninsula stretching o ff to northward . There are ﬁve compass o r wind roses , and the usual arrangement of crossing lines . The tropics and the equator are represented , but graduation

n is wa ting .

1 2 . Chart twelve is a characteristic Agnese world di chart , Oblong in shape , having the equatorial ameter nearly twice that o f the polar . Fifteen parallels are

- represented and twenty four curved meridians . It is

o r more less a conventional world chart, since the author

f Nu clearly made little e fort to be strictly accurate . me ro u s regional names are inscribed, and a few interior geographical features appear, as mountains in Asia ,

Mons luna in Africa , the Pyrenees in Spain, and the

Andes in northern South America . The re are also 48 n umerous rivers , as the Nile , the Indus , the Ganges , the

Volga , the Danube, and , in the New World, the Amazon

’

L . n and the a Plata Magella s route is indicated , as is also the route from Spain to Peru , crossing the New

World at Panama . Twelve artistic wind heads are arranged about the chart , each wind having its appropri ate name . Compass roses as well as crossing lines are wanting .

o . 1 3 . Chart thirteen represents Palestine . Like N s nine and fourteen , it is both a marine and a land chart . It has a ground color o f very light yellow shading to green , though the color has not been evenly applied .

.Mountain ranges and isolated mountain peaks are very

l . numerous , and are made especial y conspicuous The several towns and V illages are each represented by an artistic vignette , and Jerusalem appears as a group of buildings surrounded with a wall . The Jordan River and the lakes are colored blue , and are much magniﬁed

w o f in size . As dra n , it places the east at the top the di sheet , though a compass rose is inscribed , which in cates the north . 1 4 . Chart fourteen includes the Scandinavian pen insula with the Atlantic islands to the northwest and the

re west , and with the Baltic Sea and its neighboring gions to south and east . The chart has the same ground i color as Nos . n ne and thirteen . There are numerous artistic representations o f rul ers on their thrones . Tw o — well drawn ships sail the Atlantic waters , and a sea monster appears o ff the Norway coast . Very small and artistically - drawn buildings representing cities and towns are numerous . One wind head is represented at the north , but all crossing lines are omitted . The chart is

- slightly water stained at the top . 49 5 50 . 1 2 . B I 1 ARTOLOMEO OL VO , after

o 8 This portolan chart f the sixteenth century is 6 cm . in length by 51 cm . in width . Its author was a member o f the famous Oliva family of Maj orca . On this chart his name is inscribed in the

llo i Ano ma r n . upper left corner, Olivo q En Palermo The last three ﬁgures are inscribed over an

1 . erasure , and only the ﬁgure is the original We ﬁnd

o here one f the numerous attempts at date forgery .

to ﬁc tiw Sometimes for a speciﬁc reason , generally give a

r to tious value to a cha t , a date is found altered one t o n e . n o earlier, often to later While the argument is

to 1 52 6 conclusive , it appears have been drawn after , as

o n the cross of the Order of St . John appears the island 1 58 1 of Malta , and perhaps near , as the Spanish ﬂag

o n o n alone appears the Iberian peninsula , whereas

’ Domingo Olives chart of 1 56 8 Lisbon is likewise so

distinguished , by a Portuguese banner .

Compass roses are numerous , and elaborate , and it is interesting to observe that the central crossing is in

o f Sicily . On the western border is a representation

Christ o n the cross . The scale of miles is indicated

to w . twice at the p, and t ice at the bottom of the chart Here we also have it distin ctly indicated that the same scale was n o t used for the Atlantic coast that was used

f o r that o f the Me diterranean . Degrees of latitude are marked on a meridian passing about ﬁve degrees west

o f the coast o f Spain .

The chart includes the Mediterranean , the Red and

the Black Seas , the Atlantic coast region as far north

an d as Holland , with England , Scotland , and Ireland ,

the Afri can coast to Cape Boj ado r . The author has not 50 1 6 JA UME OLIVES 1 56 3 HA A A , . C RT THREE OF TL S

to i given a colored border his cont nental coasts , but has added color liberally to his islands . The three continents are distingu ished by names ; cities especially distinguished by picture are numerous both along the coasts and in

n o t land ; numerous river courses are shown , though from

to accurate information . An ocean monster appears the i southwest of Ireland , and in Africa , the ostrich , the l on, the camel , and the elephant are well represented .

The chart is well preserved , being only slightly torn on its borders .

E NY M I 1 550 1 3 . H I RO O G RI VA . , after

A portolan chart with pasteboard cover o f the second

3 3 65 . . half of the sixteenth century . It is x cm in size

n o r It is neither signed dated , but internal evidence sug

r o f gests that it is the work o f G i iva . On the interior the front cover has bee n pasted the engraved book - plate o f o a Conde de V islahe rm s . The chart includes the Medi te rranean with a very small section o f the Black Sea

e coast , and the Atlantic coast from lisbona to Cap

Cantin .

m s Compass roses are nu erous , being inscribed at mo t o f the sixteen crossing points . The central rose is placed in the island o f Sicily . In each of the four corners a scale of miles is draw n in a waving scroll ornament . In the upper corner on the left is a representation o f Christ o n n the cross . Eleven cities are disti guished by minia

b a rse lo n a ture pictures , including lisbona and in

Spain . Over each appears an appropriate banner . lVI o un ta in s are represented in northern Africa , and Gol

o f gotha with the three crosses . A few the important

s rivers are repre ented in their lower courses , as the Nile , 51 i . re the Rhone, the Guadalqu vir The chart is well p

e r ﬁrst- s ved, but the decorative work is not that of a class miniaturist .

B R 1 552 . . I 1 4 A TOLOMEO OL VE S ,

1 552 49 5 . A portolan chart of the year , in size x 7 cm

On the left is the author legend , Bartolomeo olives maij o rq ; and in the tongue extension a miniature r of the Vi gin and Child . Bartolomeo was one o f the most distinguished mem

o f m o f i has bers the Maj orcan fa ily Ol va, which family

- a place of promin ence among early chart makers . A

o f s z ie lli large number his chart are recorded by U e Amat,

l o r and by No rd e n skiOd . Compass wind roses are

o f e numerous at the crossing points , ﬁve which are larg

and beautifully executed . In each of these the initial

f o r letters the eight winds appear, beginning at the north with the needle point O thence to the right about the circle G NE ; >X< E ; S SE ; O S ; L w SW ; P W ; M NW . T ice on the upper and

twice o n the lower border the scale o f miles is inscribed .

The chart includes the Mediterranean, the Black Sea, a

section o f the Red Sea with the crossing - place of the Israel

r ites indicated , and the Atlantic coast from Cape Finiste re

to Cape Nun . Seven cities are represented in picture ,

a Venice , Genoa , and Cartagen being especially prominent,

and the banners are very numerous . Interior physical

o n n features inscribed include the Sierra Nevada M u tai s ,

u very conspicuous in southern Spain, Mo nt Sinai topped

o f . with the Convent St Catharine , also the Nile, the

u Danube , and the Rhine rivers , with the n merous othe rs di stinctly indicated in their lower courses . 52

f le ls are drawn at intervals o ﬁfteen degree s . Coast lines are in gold , and numerous original names appear in both the Old and the New World . The Strait of Ania n i ( Bering) is represented, wh ch name appears in north

n east Asia . The great austral conti ent terra incog n ita is sketched in outline . It is a chart to which much interest attaches .

tw r 2 . Chart o includes the southe n coast of the

n ul o f Spanish peni s a, the west coast Africa to about 1 5° latitude north , with the Madeira and the Canary

Islands . On this and succeeding charts three crossing

s h point and t ree only are represented, from which thirty

o two lines radiate . One f these points is located at the

o f o n e centre , one at the right this , and at the left, but all a re o n the same parallel o r line crossing the chart t from east o west .

o f 3 . Chart three includes the northwest coast

Europe, with England , Scotland, and Ireland well

e o repr sented . The names are numer us and well written .

o f 4 . Chart four includes the south coast Ireland

n o f and E gland with the coast Holland, France , and northern Spain .

5. Chart ﬁve includes the Mediterranean from the

o f o f eastern coast Spain to the west coast Greece , also the Balearic Islands , Corsica, Sardinia, and Sicily, with a small section o f the extreme north coast o f

Africa . On this chart the names are particularly numerous .

6 e a n . Chart six includes the ZE g and the eastern

Mediterranean .

in 7. Chart seven includes the Black Sea drawn large scale . 54

J 1 563 . 1 6 . I AUME OL VES ,

n This atlas o f six charts dated 1 563 is 1 9 x 2 3 cm . i size, though each chart, occupying double pages, measures

2 3 x 3 6 cm .

n i It has an excellent leather bindi g, w th the entire front and back o f the cover very artistically decorated w ith conte mporary tooling . It is a characteristic bit o f work o f a very distingui shed

o f i member the Maj orcan family Oliva , which fam ly had numerous representatives in the ranks o f the early chart

. e makers On the last double page app ars the inscription, Ja ume Oliue s mallo rc hi en napoli any w All names have been inscribed ith great care , partly l in Ita ian and partly in Catalan . The usual portolan chart colors have bee n employed a ll o f which are well

o n preserved . From a central point each chart thirty

d a ll n two lines ra iate with one exception , other lines havi g

n to o n been omitted . It is i teresting ﬁnd that the last double page a very large compass rose has been dr awn

in l o n r ﬁll g a most the entire sheet , and the ﬁ st double

a di n i page circle has been drawn with the ra ati g l nes, suggesting that the author had intended these as construo tion lin es for a chart which had never been drawn . Coast lines , in most instances have been colored, to which has i been added a gilt border . There are numerous min ature representations o f cities and bann ers o n each o f the

. o f charts With the exception sheet ﬁve , a part of which has been cut away, the atlas is remarkably well preserved .

1 . Chart one represents the eastern Mediterranean, omitting the Levantine coast . Chios and Rhodes have the Christian cross while a ll the banners represented are

- o the Mohammedan . The chart has the thirty tw radiating 55 lines and instead o f a wind o r, compass rose it has the usual initial letters f o r the eight principal winds properly placed near the border of the sheet , which arrangement is very unusual .

tw o . 2 . Chart includes the Atlantic coast from c

r t ﬁn iste r o c . blancho with the Canary and the

Madeira Islands . 3 Chart three includes the western coas t of Europe

o to d a sc ie o n the fr m cartagena North Sea coast ,

o f with a small section the northwest coast of Africa , also

England , Scotland which is separated from the former

o by a strait , and Ireland . There is a central compass r se

- e s from which thirty two lines radiate . Three cities are

e c ia ll p y distinguished in the Iberian peninsula, each with picture and banner .

4 . Chart four represents the western Mediterranean from Sicily to the Strait of Gibraltar . The Spanish , m Papal , and Moha medan banners are prominent features o f l the chart, and the city of Genoa is made especia ly conspicuous in picture . 5 . Chart ﬁve represents the middle Med iterranean

- e a n . region , including the Adriatic and the ZE g Seas This chart has been somewhat mutilated o n the upper o r northern section .

e 6 . Chart six r presents the Black Sea and the ex treme eastern Mediterranean coast . In the centre is a

compass rose from which thirty lines only radiate .

m o f m . Banners are nu erous , most which are Moha medan

56 6 . 1 . J I 1 7 AUME OL VE S ,

1 566 in A portolan chart of the year , rectangular

4 6 69 . a shape, and in s ize x cm On the upper left p 56 pears the Madonna and Child resting in the clouds , near

is this picture a lion , which represented as tearing an

n a imal in pieces , underneath which is the inscription ,

a ume M a llo r uie n a a ume J Olives , q Marsela y J Olives was a member o f the famous family o f Oliva which

ﬁrst came into prominence in the island o f Maj orca . Other distinguished me mbers of this family were Barto

o e o o f l m and Domingo Oliva , each being the author numerous portolan charts . Five other charts Of this w author are kno n , which represent the Mediterranean,

o n e 1 55 U of which , bearing date 7, is in the niversity

o f o n e 1 559 Library Pavia , dated is in the National

o n e o f 1 56 1 Library of Naples , is in the Vittorio

o f 1 563 in Emanuele Library in Rome , one is the

o f o f 1 56 6 Museo Civico Venice , and one in Mar t seilles . The one here described appears o have been

e a his last . Sev n large comp ss roses are included in

the circle of sixteen crossing points . Neither latitude

o f n o r longitude is indicated . Four scales miles are

drawn .

The chart includes the entire Mediterranean , the

i o Black Sea , the Red Sea with the ind cated course f i the Israel tes at the northern extremity, the Atlantic

o f coast of Spain from Cape Finisterre , and the coast

Africa to Cape Blanco .

Important cities are made prominent , notably Genoa

- an d and Venice , and brilliantly colored ﬂags banners are

very numerous .

The names are written in very small letters , and are m nu erous . The corners o n the left o f the sheet have been

to torn, but not to such extent as injure the contents

o f the chart . It is o n e o f the most valuable o f the

collection . 57 I I R I 1 58 2 . 1 8 . G OVANN MA T NE S ,

1 58 2 ni A portolan atlas of the year , contai ng ﬁve

3 2 4 8 . in z e bo n charts each x cm si , u d in pasteboard cover .

On chart four appears the inscription, Joan Martines en Messina Any A number of charts and atlases by this author are

hi in l . known, all of w ch are exceed gly we l done In the front of this atlas is pasted a brief description Of the sev

. . o ma rd s eral charts by E F J , editor of the famou atlas ” n o r Mo uments de la Géographie . There are three

o n o f i more compass roses each chart , some wh ch are elaborately executed . The usual intricate crossing lines

o f d are inscribed , and on each chart a scale miles raw n on a great waving scroll . The nomenclature l s espe cia lly rich .

1 . o n e Chart includes the eastern Mediterranean, the

ZE e a n an d . ru g , the Black Seas Over Je salem waves a

th m e flag with e cross, over the Cri ea the Geno se flag , which flag also appears prominent at the entrance to the

. r Black Sea The Red Sea is a conspicuous featu e , and

- o n Cairo appears as a many turreted city the Nile .

2 tw o . Chart in cludes the central and western Medi terranean . It contains all the characteristic features o f

di t o the prece ng , with Venice , Genoa, Marseilles , and w mi cities in northern Africa , made pro nent by groups o f turreted buildings .

o f 3 . Chart three represents the coast region west

to n ern Europe from Gibraltar De mark and Iceland .

This chart is especially interesting . England and Scot

o n land , as contemporaneous charts , are represented as

o n separated by a strait . Iceland appears the extreme 58

o f Frixla n di a northern border, southwest which is , with a few other names to be foun d on the Z eno map ” - 1 558 . u of Isla de Brasil , with its usual pec liar fea

to o f . tures , is located the southwest Iceland The Iberian peninsul a is especially distinguished by its turreted cities

to and conspicuous banners . About four degrees the west o f Spain the prime meridi an is drawn across the c o n i hart, which degrees of latitude are very dist nctly in dicated .

o 4 . Chart four presents the west coast f Spain and the coast o f Africa from Gibraltar to the mouth o f the

Senegal, which point is conspicuously marked with a

Portuguese banner , as is also the city of Lisbon . The prime meridian on which the degrees o f latitude a re marked is represented much to the west o f the Canary

Islands , and is at least ten degrees farther west than

o n on the preceding chart . It is this chart that the name o f Martines appears .

o f 5. Chart ﬁve represents the west coast Africa from the mouth of the Senegal to the Cape o f Good

- in Hope , the last named point being especially marked Z ” large capitals CAPO DI B ONA S P I RAN A . Numerous Portuguese banners are inscribed along the

. to coast The prime meridian, if such it is intended be ,

o f runs slightly to the west Africa , north of the equator, while south o f the same it is represented as starting at

n a poi t at least four degrees farther to the east .

The atlas is well preserved in all its rich details .

1 9 . 1 6 . ANONYMOUS ATLAS , late th century

A French atlas o f portolan charts of the second half o f the sixteenth century in brown leather cover . It con 59 tains four charts each occupying double pages 4 9 x 6 1

o f cm . in size . On the outside the front cover is stamped

o ‘ Ex libris Luigi Arrigo n i Me di la n i. Its author is un known, but it corresponds in all important particulars

i - to the contemporaneous work of Ital an chart makers . Compass roses are numerous and some are very

f o r r large . Certain designs banne s , as well as the car touches in which the scale Of miles is inscribed are bril lia n tly Colored and elaborately executed . The coast lines

o f are colored, certain parts which are unusually heavily marked .

The coast nomenclature is very full, and regional names , especially, are in French . French portolan charts o f n o t o n e the period are numerous , and this work is of the most valuable of the kind known .

o n e 1 . Chart drawn on a large scale includes the

o f western Mediterranean , the Atlantic coast Africa to

‘ Cape Cantin . Many regional names are inscribed as ” ” ” “ ” S a n e Europe , p g , Genes , Provence, Cata ” ” ” ” ” lo n e An d alvz ie P :G al g , Valence , Granade , , , ” ” ” ” ” Afrique , Tunis , Arger, Barbarie , Fex .

2 . Chart two includes the middle Mediterranean and

. O the the Adriatic The coast of France , of Tunis , f

o f the island of Sicily, and the opposite mainland Italy,

o f Adriatic coast Tuscany, the coast of Istria, and the coast l of western Greece , all are made especia ly prominent by heavy coloring .

e u R gional names are n merous , including Europe , ” “ ” ” ” ” n ni l Tusc a n e I strie Ge es , Ve se , Ita ie , , , ”

. e Dalmatie, Tunis , Tripoli Gr ece , and

Afrique are inscribed in a con spicuous carto uche .

the . As inserted in atlas, the north is at the right

3 . r n Chart thre e in cludes the eastern Mediter anea , 60

is highly colored, and contains numerous elaborate orna ” ” A a ments . Europe , Asie , and frique are p

ro ria te l a s p p y inscribed , with the addition of such names ” ” ” ” ”

Na to lie Ca rma n ie S vrie . Greece, Troye , , ,

Golgotha is represented with the three crosses . The l mi mouth of the Ni e is made pro nent, as is the name

Barbarie .

4 . r di an Chart fou includes the entire Me terrane , with a small section o f the southwest shore o f the Black

Sea, the northern section of the Red Sea , the Atlantic

o f coast Spain from Cape Finisterre southward, the coast

of Africa to Cape Cantin . There is a very considerable

tongue extension o f the she et on the left . It is rather more highly decorated than is either of the preceding i sheets , contain ng the regional names and most of the

features represented o n e ach of the preceding charts . It appe ars indeed to be simply a chart represent ing the contents o f the precedi ng grouped in to o n e

chart .

The entire atlas is o n e remarkably well preserved .

2 0 . D I I C DE I RR 1 59 0 . OM N US V LLA OEL , circa

s An atlas of portolan charts , bound in a pa teboard

cover and drawn near the close of the sixteenth century .

3 52 . It contains seven charts , each 7 x cm in size , with one page representing Judith and H o lo phe rn e s havin g a Latin subscription concludin g with a reference to the

: D o min ic vs l author H o e o pvs D . de Vil arroel Regis ” H is a n ia rvm f a c ieb a t re re p Cosmography s , one page p

senting the martyrdom of St . Sebastien, and one page on w hich appear tw o circul ar calendar tables furnished

o with a movable parchment disc . U nder each f the 61 . tables is an explanation as to its meaning and its use .

Villarroel was probably not a Spaniard , as he is not re ferred to by Fernandez de Navarrete in his Biblio the c a ma ritima es a ﬁo la p , but was probably an Italian l iving e under Spanish rule in Naples . The Biblioth que Na tio n a le of Paris possesses a portolan chart, apparently the

- work of this same chart maker , representing the Medi

r in sc ri terranean , Eu ope, and northern Africa with the p

D o n d e V ille ro e l c o smo ra ho su tion , Domingo , g p de

1 58 9 a nd tw o Magestad , me fecit in civitate Neapolis ,

e N o rd e n skiOld P e ri lus atlases are referr d to by in his p , 5 . 6 5 1 53 0 1 8 0 p , of the years and which may be by the

u w is same cosmographer . This atlas , hitherto nkno n , probably his last work . Each chart is covered with the U li sual crossing nes and contains several compass roses ,

o f some o f which are e laborately executed . Degrees

o n s latitude are represented , each also the scale of mile in a waving scroll . Certain important cities are made

o n especially conspicuous the ﬁrst four charts , and nu me ro u s banners o f state and coats - Of - arms are represente d in their appropriate localities .

o n 1 . Chart e represents the eastern Mediterranean

and the Black Sea, recording in the interior regions only

the names of the several countries . di 2 . Chart two includes the central and western Me

terranean , having compass roses which are especially well

drawn . The several countries of central Europe are each distinguished by the representation o f at least one city

over which ﬂies an appropriate banner .

3 e . Chart three includes w stern Europe from Gib

t . ral ar to the White Sea, and is remarkably well drawn

Spain gives excellent illustratio n of the statement ( vial . 62

2 0 f o f s p . ) that a di ferent scale measurement was u ed for the Atlantic coast from that used for the Mediterranean

re re coast . England and Ireland are remarkably well p sented as is the Baltic with the entire Scandinavi an region .

4 . Chart four includes southern Spain with the coast of Africa to the Gulf of Guinea . The prime meridian

r o n is represented passing west of the Cana y Islands , which meridian degrees of latitude are marked from 1 ° ° to 4 2 north . ° 5. Chart ﬁve presents the Atlantic Ocean from 1 5

o f to 60 north latitude . This is one the most interesting c o f o f harts the Atlas , exhibiting on the right the coast

r d Af ica , Portugal , and Ireland , at the top Icelan , Green

Z o n land , and the island of Frisland of the eno map , the left Canada and Labrador with the neighboring islands under the name Terra Nova . In the middle Atlantic are

an d . many islands , among which are S . Brandan Icaria The North American coast represents a type betwe en that o f the Dieppe School and that of Ortelius a s laid d own in his Theatrum of 1 570 .

6 . Chart six includes the Adriatic, Lower Italy , and

Sicily . In this and the succeeding chart the draftsman

vi to has altered somewhat his style, gi ng less attention ornamentation . The cities are made prominent merely by a gold d o t. Compass roses are less conspicuous though

o f o n in the style the small roses the preceding charts , and the ribbon scroll in which is represented the scale of m iles is the same pattern .

7. Chart seven represents the entire [ E ge a n Sea with

n e the eighboring coast regions . As in the prec ding chart ships are artistically sketched sailing the sea, and

- the towns , as well as all coast places bearing name , are preceded by a gold dot . 63 5 I C I R 1 9 . 2 1 . V N ENT US P UNE S , 7

5 e n A small portolan chart of the year 1 9 7. Its dim 4 sions are 1 7 x 5cm . The author legend near the upper

o n u in border the left reads , Vincentius pr nes civis maj o ric a rum me fecit anno Neither U z ie lli e Am at n o r N o rde n skiOld refers to

hi - t s chart maker, although they make brief mention of Matteo Prunes as a Maj o rcan cartographer who se work belongs to the second half of the sixteenth century . In the tongue extension on the left is a miniature o f

o n the Virgin and Child resting a cloud , underneath which

are the heads o f three cherubs . The sheet being so much longer than broad would apparently call for at least two systems of crossing

o n e points . Instead but is represented with its centre

o o f in the island f Sardinia . The circumference the circle in which the sixteen points appear passes through the Adriatic on the right and the east coast of Spain

o n the left . The lines passing through those poin ts are

o extended to the borders f the sheet . Numerous paral lel lines cross the sheet from north to south and from

east to west at intervals of about ﬁve degrees . Along the upper and also along the lower border a

o f i scale m les is represented .

The chart includes the entire Mediterranean, also the

Atlantic coast region , from Cape Finisterre to Cape w Cantin, ith an extensive nomenclature , but no interior

regional names are given . Ten miniature representations

o f cities are drawn , over each of which is an appropriate

banner .

The chart is well preserved , though evidently very

slightly reduced from its original size by trimming . 64 o f l 6th 2 2 . ANONYMOUS ATLAS , second half

century .

An atlas containing three portolan charts o f the late

t . sixteenth cen ury , bound in brown boards Each chart

5 . o f n is 40 x 8 cm . in size It is the work an unk own

French cartographer . The continental coasts and most o f the islands are colored . The chief ornamentation con

o f o f sists compass roses , each which has eight points , the central one in charts two and three being located in the

o f island Sicily, and there are somewhat elaborate car

o f touches , in each of which a scale miles is represented .

1 . i in Chart one represents the Grecian Arch pelago , ” o f a to lie cluding a section the coast Of Asia Minor , N ,

o f the island Candie very prominent , the east coast ” o f ul the Grecian penins a , Grece , and Morea, and “ ” the coast o f Romanie . Chios and Rhodes are made conspicuous by means o f their color and the silver cross .

2 . tw o di Chart represents the entire Me terranean,

to o f the entrance the Black Sea , the west coast Spain, and the coast o f Africa to Cape Cantin . Certain coast regions and islands have been made especially con s i uo p c u s by colo r . Regional names in large capital let ” “ ” “ e S a n e ters are inscrib d , as p g , Europe , Asie , ” Barbarie , Afrique . This sheet has the tongue extension o n the left .

3 . Chart three includes about the same as the pre

o f ceding , except that nothing beyond the Strait Gibraltar is represented , and it is drawn on a somewhat larger scale . Sicily is made the centre of the group o f sixteen

n n o t O crossi g points , although in the centre f the sheet, and a second crossing point is indicated in the eastern 65 e r s the Medit r anean, which , however, is not repre ented as centre o f a system .

The atlas is well preserved in all its details .

o f l 6th 2 3 . ANONYMOUS ATLAS , close the

century .

A portolan atlas containing three charts , belonging

o f to the closing years the sixteenth century , in size 2 35x 6 cm . Though unsigned and undated it presents many features suggesting that it is the work o f a mem ber of the Oliva family . The drafting is exquisitely h done , the decorations of each sheet showing workmans ip o f a superior quality .

e a o 1 . Chart one represents the ZE g n Sea with all f its neighboring coasts to the west , the north , and the e ast , with the island of Crete at the south . The coasts are colored with certain se ctions very conspicuous . It contain s a scale o f miles in an elaborate cartouche stretch

o r ing entirely across the northern boundary, as it appears

o n . in the atlas , the extreme right Compass roses are

n o t numerous , though conspicuous , and the compass lines are rather more numerous than is usual by reason o f the fact that each o f the sixte en crossing points is con n e c te d with every other point , the lines being extended to the border of the chart .

2 . Chart two includes the entire Mediterranean, with a very limited section of the southwest coast o f the Black

m . Sea, and ter inates in the west at Gibraltar Sixteen pictures of important cities appear . The Nile with its n umerous branches is represented, as is Golgotha sur i mounte d w th the three crosses . The chart furn ishes an e xcellent example o f an attempt to represent along the 66 2 0 . DOMINICU S DE VALLARROEL CIRCA 59 A A A , 1 0 . CH RT THREE OF TL S

i o f border, is a prom nent representation degrees of lati

n o t . tude , though numbers are given

f o r Color was liberally used , especially compass cards , and along the coasts . Malta and Rhodes are covered

o n i . n o with the cross f the K ghts of St John , but cities

n o r n are distinguished by min iatures , are ﬂags or ban ers represented . The chart includes the eastern Mediterranean from

' la n d o f . the is Sicily Asie across Asia Minor, and

nl Barbarie in northern Africa , are the o y regional names recorded .

The chart is not o n e o f great importance . It is in

o f a fair state preservation .

2 5. C R 1 6th . ANONYMOUS HA T , late century

1 9 8 1 . A chart of the late sixteenth century , x cm

o n in siz e . In the lower corner the left is the name “ in o f . Bogali , probably that a former possessor It c lude s the Tyrrhenian Sea with the adj acent coasts and

o n e islands , and has the usual crossing lines , with com pass rose . An ornamentation in the lower corner , near the inscribed name , suggests that it is the work of a

French draftsman, though the nomenclature is Italian .

n o t o f ul m The chart is that a caref , expert work an , nor

o n is it e of great scientiﬁc value . Apparently it is a sheet from an atlas , greatly reduced from its original size .

The names are all legible , though the sheet is considerably

- water stained .

2 6 . I C I D RI V OL CI U S 1 6 0 0 . V N ENT US EMET US ,

rt 1 60 0 4 6 8 5 . A portolan cha dated , being x cm in size . In the upper corner o n the left is the author 68 V iﬁu s d e me tre i V o lc iu s R a chuse u s in legend, Fecit

r terra Liburni de 1 3 I a n u a ri 1 60 0 . This chart is he e

k V o lc ius ﬁrst made nown , but other portolan charts by i 1 59 3 1 59 6 1 59 8 wh ch have been described bear dates , , , di 1 60 1 1 6 0 . , and 7 It includes the entire Me terranean w ith the Atlantic coast from Cape Finisterre to Cape

o Boj ad or . The centre f the circle in which the sixteen crossing points appear is in southern Italy . There are

o r wi ﬁve compass nd roses , and on both the upper and the lower border a scale o f miles has been inscribed .

w e ll The chart is remarkably clean and preserved,

u having a considerable tong e extension on the left, and a narrow black border making an angle in the tongue

m o n . extension, which border is o itted the right

2 . I I C 1 0 5 6 . 7 MA OLO E V S ONTE , 5 A portolan chart o f the year 1 6 0 5. In size it is 8 x 8 1 cm . In the tongue extension o f the chart is a re

o f 1 60 5 presentation the Virgin and Child , and the date ,

1 50 5. To which, however , has been crudely altered to

o f n the right, and slightly below the picture the Virgi ,

n a utic a to ria is the author legend , Carta di mano de Baldasaro da Maiolo e G io ua n An toni o de Visconte fatta ’ ” 1 60 5 G e n o u a nell anno in , the year as here given having

o been als changed by the same hand . Baldasaro was the last descendant o f the famous

Maiolo family of Genoa, especially distinguished as chart makers in the sixteenth century . Apparently only two

’ o f B a ld a sa ro s o n e o f 1 56 6 an d other charts are known , ,

1 5 o one of 8 3 . G i va n An to nio was likew ise a member

V e sc o n te of a famous family, of which family Pietro 69 - n was a member, whose name appears on the Oldest k own

portolan chart bearing date .

e Compass cards are numerous , though not elaborat

' in design : a very simple scale of miles is re pre se n te d o n

n the u pper and also o the lower border .

e n th The chart r presents the Mediterra ean, e Black

o f Sea, a small section the Red Sea, the Atlantic coast

n of Europe from Gibraltar to Holland, and in fai t out lin e a section of the Baltic and the southern extremity ” to of Scandinavia, the coast of Africa rio doro, the

B Az r the ritish Islands , the ores , the Madei a, Canary ” Islands , and the fabulous islands Maida and Brazil . Colored groups of turrets with ﬂying b an n ers represen t

e the larger cities among which Genoa , Venic , and Con

n sta tin o ple are especially conspicuous . In all eightee n

e cities are so distingui shed . Much care see ms to hav been exercised with reference to the in s ertion of the

British Islands . In its colors and nomenclature the chart is well pre

served, though the sheet has been slightly stained and

torn in the margins .

2 8 . I 1 u . JOANNE S OL VA, early 7th cent ry

Portolan chart of the ﬁrst quarter of the seventeenth 5 r 1 9 6 . z e . centu y, x cm in si In the upper corner on the left is a somewhat faded representation of Christ on

to o f the cross , the right which , and somewhat below it, is the inscription : Joannes Oliva fecit in civitate Liburni a no domini — the n umbers repre senting th e year having been erased . m The author was a member of the famous Oliva fa ily,

r coming originally from the Balearic Islands, and late 70

having its representatives in many localities in Italy . Nine other single par chment charts and tw o atlases o f his a re known ; the chart here described bein g apparently hitherto unknown .

n o t Fifteen compass roses adorn the chart , though all o f o n e o n the same design, the central being located the

- o f tw o . island Sicily, from which the thirty lines radiate

o f o n o n A scale miles appears the upper border , and the lower the scale is recorded three times in a long w a v in g scroll . Latitude is represented o n a meridian cross ing the chart east of the heel of the boot o f Italy . The chart represents the Mediterranean and the Black Sea with a small section Of the Atlantic coast from Lisbon to Cape Cantin .

The three continents are designated by name . In

Africa the river Nile is drawn , and in Palestine Golgotha with the three crosses .

o r The nomenclature is in Catalan, in Italian with distinct Catalan forms , and as usual the names are in red and black . It is an interesting fact that those written in red are best preserved .

Over Rhodes , Chios , and Malta the cross is represented . ' The chart is very well executed , but is somewhat in jured along the edges , and in parts is slightly faded .

2 9 . P L A I T S ALV I RO I 1 C U C ET OL VA , early 7th

century .

A portolan chart o f the early seventeenth century, 53 0 in size x 1 0 cm . On the left in the tongue extension is the author

P la c itus Ca lV irO e t e legend, Olivia fecit in nobile urb messana Numero us charts signed as here a re 71 n o known , possessing superior scientiﬁc value , though

t o f well drawn and elaborately decorated . The da e this chart has been erased apparently with the thought o f

o substituting another for the original . In the extension n the left is a miniature o f the Madonna and Child . It is

n o n fur ished with an elaborate border ornament , except

to c ut a . the right, where this appears have been aw y

Degrees of latitude are represented on the left .

e The chart includes the Mediterran an , the Black Sea , part of the North Sea, the Atlantic coast from Holland

n i h to a poi t near Cape Verde in Africa , with the Brit s

e . Islands , the Mad ira and the Canary Islands It is a

l . chart elaborately ornamented , especia ly in Africa West of Spain in the Mare Oceano tw o ocean monsters are

to represented . Various animals are be seen in Africa ,

ni and palm trees are numerous . There are many mi a t o f ure representations cities , each with its appropriate

in banner . The three continental names have been scribed, also Golgotha with the three crosses , and the Nile ”

ll . River, Flume Ni o No less than twelve rulers appear

l r his in their respective countries , each in fu l ﬁgu e , with ” n appropriate shield . These represent R . de Spa ia . ” ” ”

ia . . . U n a r R de Francia, Imperator, R de g , R ” ” ” de Russia , Gran Turc, Gran soldano di Babilonia, ” ” ” R . de Tripoli, R . de Tunis , R . de Alger, R . de ” Fes , R . de Maraco .

The purely geographical parts of the chart, including the coast lines and nomenclature , are very much faded , but the ornamentation is well preserved .

3 0 . C R 1 . ANONYMOUS HA T , early 7th century

A large parchment chart of the early seventeenth c e n 72 in the New World Brasili a and T erra do s P a tos . The chart is remarkably well preserved an d all names are

n . legible , the names of the Atlantic islands be i g in red

3 1 . B I C I I 1 63 . JOUAN ATT STA AVALL N , 7

o f A portolan chart, once part an atlas , of the year

1 63 . 4 2 5 7 It is x 8 cm . in size .

o n In the upper corner the left is the author legend, Jouan Batta Cau allini in L iuo rn o Ano Caval lin i was a chart - maker o f distinction of the city of Leg

i o . z e l tw horn, Italy U l i e Amat mention three charts and a atl ses by this author, four of which are dated respectively,

1 63 6 1 63 9 1 642 1 654 o n e . n s , , , , and undated It contai

um n erous compass roses well executed, from each of which

- tw thirty o lines radiate . A scale o f miles appears in each Of corner the sheet within an elaborately drawn design , and the chart is furnished with an artistic border . De grees of latitude are marked o n a line crossing the shee t

‘ to o f the west the Madeira Islands . The chart includes the western Mediterranean and the Atlantic coast regions from northern France to Arguin

a re in Africa . The names inscribed for the larger areas ” ” ” ” Spania, Gallia, Barbaria, Africa . Numerous

e n cities are represent d in miniature with ban ers , and near each is the name o f the province o r region in which the

city lie s . The provinces so distinguished are in Europe ” ” ” ” G ua sc o n ia Piemonte , Provenza, g , Navara, ” ” ” Catalo nia n g , Valenzia , Cartagena, A daluzia, ” i ” Castiglia Portogallo , Gal zia, Biscaia in ” ” ” ” Tun e si Al ie ri Africa , Costantina, g , Oran, ” ” ” Fesse , Maroco , Arguin . 74

s o f o f r compo ed a series short cu ves with numerous breaks ,

to di e o r as if in cat the mouths of streams rivers .

n e 1 . Chart o represents the Atlantic coast of the old world from Cape Finisterre to a point near the mouth o f the Senegal , including the Madeira and the Canary

Islands . To the left o f these islands a very conspicuous line is drawn on which degrees of latitude are indicated .

S . tiago and lisbona are marked with turreted ” l Ciud a t bui dings and banners . Three cities , Melli , ” ” ui in d . so de boxa or, and S juan, are disting shed

Africa .

2 o f a n d . Chart two contains the west coast Europe Africa from Holland to Cape Can tin though the ﬁrst point indicated at the north is dansie with the Medi

o f terranean coast as far as the meridian Marseilles , n i cluding also the British Islands , and in the extreme ” n Frixla n di a s a de orthwest , and to the outh of this , ill ” r brasill . The cities made prominent by colored min iatu es

” ’9 ” ” n a n ve ro b a rsalo n a i clude frixa, , Avignon, ,

3 ) ( C ” ”

va le n sia . . , granada, lisbona, S tiago

3 . Chart three includes the Mediterranean from the north coas t of Spain to the Gulf o f Corinth . On this chart Venice and Genoa are made especially promin en t with picture and bann er . Five other cities are indicated in a similar manner .

4 . Chart four includes the eastern Mediterranean a n d n ul m the Bla ck Sea . Ba ners are partic arly nu erous ” “ ” o n S in a i . G e russalle m this chart , Mont de y , and

b ab e lo n ia ( Cairo) are given special prominence .

The Red Sea has not the usual solid red color, but is crossed with wavin g re d lines .

The atlas is remarkably well preserved .