Essays & Articles
Jan 17, 2025
Map Maker Biography: Nicolaes Visscher I and his son Nicolaes Visscher II
Nicolaes Visscher I (1618–1679) and his son Nicolaes Visscher II (1649–1702) were two of the most renowned Dutch cart...
Jan 14, 2025
Map Maker Biography: Hartmann Schedel (1440 – 1514)
Although relatively few people are familiar with his name, Hartmann Schedel (1440–1514) was one of the most illustri...
Jun 13, 2024
The Selden Map: A Ming Dynasty Maritime Marvel
In 2008, a stunning map was found in the basement of one of the world’s most famous libraries, Oxford University’s B...
May 14, 2024
Juan de la Cosa and his World Chart
The focus of this essay is Juan de la Cosa and his magnificent World Chart, a chart which documented the discoveries...
Jan 31, 2024
Portolan Charts Part IV: Longevity of Genre
Portrait of a Chartmaker by Pietro Vesconti anno 1318
While there is no consensus regarding the origins of portola...
Dec 30, 2023
Portolan Charts Part III: Evolution of Portolans
The Dulcert Chart 1339
The theme of portolani is enormous and complex. In each of our blogs dedicated to this them...
Dec 20, 2023
Portolan Charts Part II: 14th Century Charts
Portolans have been a topic of scholarly controversy for decades. The predecessors of the charts is the theme of myri...
Dec 9, 2023
Portolan Charts Part I: The Carte Pisane
Detail of the Carte Pisane 1275 - 1300
This detail of the Carte Pisane, the...
Nov 18, 2023
The Kangnido Map: A Non-Eurocentric Worldview
Many of the early maps we have been discussing were based on the Eurocentric perceptions of the world held by the...
Nov 5, 2023
The Sawley Map - A Fantastical Medieval Manuscript
A small but fantastical drawing, known today as the Sawley Map, was used by a 12th-century theologian to illustrat...
Oct 29, 2023
The Psalter World Map
One of the most remarkable and important survivors of medieval European maps is The Psalter World Map, the only know...
Oct 18, 2023
Cotton Mappa Mundi
Cotton Mappa Mundi
The fascinating Cotton Mappa Mundi, one of the earliest surviving maps of the world known to hav...