Portolan Chart of the Mediterranean World. Mateo
Prunes
[Majorca] 1559. Vellum. A cartographic revolution occurred in the
Mediterranean world in the thirteenth century with the emergence
of a new type of chart, the portolan chart. This coincided with
the surge in seafaring activity and Atlantic exploration which
began before the end of that century. This colorful one-of-a-kind portolan chart was drawn on
vellum in 1559. Mapmaker Mateus
Prunes (1532-1594) was a leading member of a family of Majorcan
cartographers who lived and worked on that island from the early
sixteenth to the late seventeenth centuries. The chart depicts
the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, part of the Red Sea, the
Atlantic coast of Africa from Cape Spartel to Senegal, and the
European coast to northern Scandinavia. Both real and mythical
islands appear in the northwest. The real ones include Fixlanda
(Iceland) and Isola Verde (probably Greenland). Among the
mythical islands are Isola de Brazil and Isola de Maydi, the
latter possibly a name of Arabic origin that first appeared on
the 1325 chart by Angelino Dalorto. (Vellum Chart Collection,
Geography and Map Division)
Una verdadera revolución cartográfica tuvo lugar en
el
mundo Mediterráneo del siglo XIII con la aparición de
una
nueva carta de navegación, el Plano de Portulano. Este
coincidió
con un resurgimiento de la actividad marina y la exploración
del
Atlántico, a fines de ese siglo. El cartógrafo Mateus
Prunes
(1532-1594) pertecía a una familia de prominentes cartógrafos
de
la Isla de Mallorca que vivieron y trabajaron en esa isla desde
principios
del siglo XVI, hasta finales del XVII. La carta de navegación
muestra
el Mar Mediterráneo, el Mar Negro, parte del Mar Rojo, la
costa
Atlática de Africa de Cabo Espartel al Senegal, y la costa
europea
hasta el norte de Escandinavia. Islas míticas y reales
aparecen
en el noroeste. Las reales incluyen Islandia e Isola Verde
(probablemente
Groenlandia). De entre las islas míticas están la Isola
de
Brazil e Isola de Maydi, ésta última posiblemente sea
un
nombre de orígen árabe que apareció por primera
vez
en la carta de navegación de Angelino Dalorto en 1325. (Vellum Chart Collection,
Geography and Map Division)
Library of
Congress
Comments: Ask a Librarian
(05/16/00)
Portolan Chart of the Mediterranean World. Mateo
Prunes
[Majorca] 1559. Vellum. A cartographic revolution occurred in the
Mediterranean world in the thirteenth century with the emergence
of a new type of chart, the portolan chart. This coincided with
the surge in seafaring activity and Atlantic exploration which
began before the end of that century. This colorful one-of-a-kind portolan chart was drawn on
vellum in 1559. Mapmaker Mateus
Prunes (1532-1594) was a leading member of a family of Majorcan
cartographers who lived and worked on that island from the early
sixteenth to the late seventeenth centuries. The chart depicts
the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, part of the Red Sea, the
Atlantic coast of Africa from Cape Spartel to Senegal, and the
European coast to northern Scandinavia. Both real and mythical
islands appear in the northwest. The real ones include Fixlanda
(Iceland) and Isola Verde (probably Greenland). Among the
mythical islands are Isola de Brazil and Isola de Maydi, the
latter possibly a name of Arabic origin that first appeared on
the 1325 chart by Angelino Dalorto. (Vellum Chart Collection,
Geography and Map Division)