The anonymous and undated "Ms. Egerton 2803", a 16th century manuscript portolan atlas, can be found at the British Library. Although we cannot completely agree with some early 20th century historians of cartography who believe that Genoese Vesconte Maggiolo or Florentine Francesco Rosselli are the authors, the clear Italian nomenclature and other clues confirm it is the work of an Italian, probably Venetian cartographer. At the current state of the research, the exact author cannot be determined because of the variety of his interests and the extraordinary number of sources utilised. The maps representing the most peripheral regions of the 16th century ecumene – the Caspian Sea, the Baltic Sea, Southern Asia, and above all the New World – provide a helping hand to establish the date of the relic. The analysis of the American coastlines and place-names will date the compilation of the atlas between the end of 1509 and 1513, that is between Solis and Pinzón’s return to Europe (post quem term) and the discoveries of Florida and the Pacific Ocean by Ponce de Leon and Balboa (ante quem term).
(2002). Il Ms. Egerton 2803 della British Library: cartografia nautica ed espansione europea all'inizio del XVI secolo. (Tesi di dottorato, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, 2002).
Il Ms. Egerton 2803 della British Library: cartografia nautica ed espansione europea all'inizio del XVI secolo
BAGNOLI, LORENZO
2002
Abstract
The anonymous and undated "Ms. Egerton 2803", a 16th century manuscript portolan atlas, can be found at the British Library. Although we cannot completely agree with some early 20th century historians of cartography who believe that Genoese Vesconte Maggiolo or Florentine Francesco Rosselli are the authors, the clear Italian nomenclature and other clues confirm it is the work of an Italian, probably Venetian cartographer. At the current state of the research, the exact author cannot be determined because of the variety of his interests and the extraordinary number of sources utilised. The maps representing the most peripheral regions of the 16th century ecumene – the Caspian Sea, the Baltic Sea, Southern Asia, and above all the New World – provide a helping hand to establish the date of the relic. The analysis of the American coastlines and place-names will date the compilation of the atlas between the end of 1509 and 1513, that is between Solis and Pinzón’s return to Europe (post quem term) and the discoveries of Florida and the Pacific Ocean by Ponce de Leon and Balboa (ante quem term).
I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
