ARTISAN MAPS

Description:

NB: This version of the map (PLAN 22/W)  will be completely water colored by hand.

The other version (PLAN 22/D) is "the only one" digitally reproduced in color from our entire collection.

We remind you to refer to the artistic process shown on the left side or see the video available on the right side referring to the artistic process.

This is the 2nd edition of the map who was made for the King  Alfonso V of Portugal. This edition was produced by Fra Mauro and his assistant Andrea Bianco, a sailor-cartographer. It was completed on 24 April 1459. The map was then sent to Lisbon in Portugal. Documents show that this map was housed in the royal palace of Sao Jorge Castle at least until 1494, but sometime after that the map disappeared.

The Fra' Mauro Map ."considered the greatest memorial of medieval cartography", is a map of the world made around 1450 by the Italian cartographer Fra' Mauro. It is a circular planisphere drawn on parchment and set in a wooden frame that measures over two by two meters. It includes Asia, the Indian Ocean, Africa, Europe and the Atlantic. It is oriented with south at the top.

The Fra Mauro world map is a major cartographical work. It took several years to complete and was very expensive to produce. The map contains hundreds of detailed illustrations and more than 3000 descriptive texts. It was the most detailed and accurate representation of the world that had been produced up until that time. As such, the Fra Mauro map is considered one of the most important works in the history of cartography. It marks the end of Bible-based geography in Europe and the beginning of embracing a more scientific way of making maps, placing accuracy ahead of religious or traditional beliefs.

The maker of the map, Fra Mauro, was a Camaldolese monk from the island of Murano near Venice. He was employed as an accountant and professional cartographer. The map was made for the kings and rulers of Venice and Portugal, two of the main seafaring nations of the time.