Description
This beautiful antique map centered on the Atlantic Ocean is from a portolan atlas, drawn by Battista Agnese and dedicated to Hieronymus Ruffault, Abbot of St. Vaast circa 1544. The manuscript is pen-and-ink and watercolor on vellum and shows the southern Atlantic Ocean and coasts.
Cartographer’s Note: Portolan (portulan) charts are maps based on compass directions and estimated distances
observed by navigators at sea and were prized for their cartographic accuracy- even considered state secrets by some nations. They were most useful between the 13th and 15th centuries. Portolan maps all share the characteristic rhumblines (windrose lines), which radiate from compass roses located at various points on the map. These represent lines of bearing, but are not modern rhumb lines or meridians.
Reproduction Size: 36″x 25″ (91.5cm x 63.5cm)
