Diego Homem's pioneering work in the field of cartography: the mapping of sea routes, oceans, and world regions as an example of the unstoppable advance of science
Diego Homen’s Atlas 1561
Venice (Italy) — 1561

Diego Homen’s Atlas 1561
Venice (Italy) — 1561
Diego Homem (1521–76), one of the most talented cartographers of all time, created a true masterpiece of cartography
It not only recorded known sea routes, seas, and oceans, but also all regions of the mainland
The Atlas of 1561 is an outstanding example of the scientific achievements of the European Renaissance

Diogo Homem’s Atlas 1561
Venice and its Vicinities
Diogo Homem was forced to flee his homeland of Portugal after he was suspected of being involved in a murder and eventually made his way to the Republic of Venice at a time when La Serenissima was perhaps the most splendid city in the world. Towering over the rest of the skyline, St. Mark's Campanile makes the cityscape of Venice immediately identifiable. Venice’s symbol, the winged lion, is shown flying on the Banner of St. Mark next to it as is a splendid compass rose, both in gold leaf.
Diego Homen’s Atlas 1561
- Atlas de Diego Homen
- Atlas del Mediterraneo de Diego Homen
- Atlas des Diego Homen von 1561
Short Description
The 16th century witnessed the science of cartography advance by leaps and bounds. The Portuguese cartographer Diogo Homem was second to none among his contemporaries and produced works that were both highly accurate and gorgeously designed. Homem’s 1561 Atlas includes some of the greatest achievements of his distinguished career.
Diogo Homem’s Atlas 1561
When one thinks of the origins of the fantastic works of cartography that were produced during the Renaissance, murder does not usually come to mind. Diogo Homem (1521–76), also spelled Homen, was exiled from Portugal because of his complicity in a murder, what his exact role was in unclear, but he fled first to England and later to Venice. While living in the “City of Water”, which is really a series of islands connected by bridges and canals, Homem created some of the finest works of 16th century cartography. His portolan charts, nautical maps with a windrose network designating a series of sailing directions between ports, were both revolutionary in their accuracy and masterful in their artistry. The lands depicted have elegantly colored coastlines, contain local flags and escutcheons, cityscapes and mountains, as well as intricate compass roses. The quality of his work is widely recognized and exhibited in museums and collections in Italy, Austria, Great Britain, France, the United States, and in his native Portugal. Homem’s 34-page atlas published in 1561 is a collection of some of his best works and offers a wonderful inside glimpse into the fine art and science of Renaissance cartography.
Codicology
- Alternative Titles
- Atlas de Diego Homen
Atlas del Mediterraneo de Diego Homen
Atlas des Diego Homen von 1561 - Type
- Map on paper
- Size / Format
- 24 pages + 8 maps / 46.5 x 30.0 cm
- Origin
- Venice (Italy)
- Date
- 1561
- Epochs
- Style
- Genre
- Artist / School
- Diogo Homem (1521–1576)

Diego Homen’s Atlas 1561
Iberian Peninsula
As a Portuguese cartographer, Diogo Homem had a particularly acute knowledge of the geography of the Iberian Peninsula. It is thus presented here with a remarkable degree of accuracy and artistic refinement that simultaneously make this a masterpiece of both cartography and Renaissance art – a splendid image of the Western Mediterranean in the 16th century.
Only the highest quality pigments and precious gold leaf were used in the creation of this splendid atlas. Here we see the name HISPANIA presented in a red banderole with gold lettering, compass roses created with incredible precision and artistry, and other details like mountain ranges, cities, and the royal coats of arms of the kingdoms of Spain, France, and the various rulers of the Barbary Coast.
1 available facsimile edition(s) of „Diego Homen’s Atlas 1561“
Atlas del Mediterraneo de Diego Homen
- Publisher
- AyN Ediciones – Madrid, 1975
- Limited Edition
- 1500 copies
- Binding
- Full Leather
- Commentary
-
1 volume by Julio F.Guillen Tato and José Luis Morales Hernánde
Language: Spanish - More Information
- Reproduction of the entire original document as detailed as possible (scope, format, colors). The binding may not correspond to the original or current document binding.
Matching Works
Atlas Coelestis
Ptolemy, Copernicus, Kepler: the richly illustrated collected works of the greatest astronomers from antiquity to the Early Modern Period
Experience MoreTabula Peutingeriana
Like a modern travel guide: the graphic representation of the road network of the Roman Empire
Experience MoreMatching Background Articles
Geography / Maps
Most of what you know about world and how you perceive geography is based on maps you have seen. Medieval maps likewise...Experience moreRenaissance
What does the word “Renaissance” bring to mind for you? Art, science, and culture of course! It was a "rebirth" and...Experience more16th Century
When did the Middle Ages end and the Early Modern Period begin? Most agree it was sometime in the course of the 16th...Experience more
- Treatises / Secular Books
- Apocalypses / Beatus
- Astronomy / Astrology
- Bestiaries
- Bibles / Gospels
- Chronicles / History / Law
- Geography / Maps
- Saints' Lives
- Islam / Oriental
- Judaism / Hebrew
- Single Leaf Collections
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Literature / Poetry
- Liturgical Manuscripts
- Medicine / Botany / Alchemy
- Music
- Mythology / Prophecies
- Psalters
- Other Religious Books
- Games / Hunting
- Private Devotion Books
- Other Genres
- Aboca Museum
- Akademische Druck- u. Verlagsanstalt (ADEVA)
- Aldo Ausilio Editore - Bottega d’Erasmo
- Alecto Historical Editions
- Ars Magna
- ArtCodex
- AyN Ediciones
- Bärenreiter-Verlag
- Belser Verlag
- Belser Verlag / WK Wertkontor
- Bernardinum Wydawnictwo
- BiblioGemma
- Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana (Vaticanstadt, Vaticanstadt)
- Bibliotheca Palatina Faksimile Verlag
- Bibliotheca Rara
- CAPSA, Ars Scriptoria
- Circulo Cientifico
- Club Bibliófilo Versol
- CM Editores
- Collezione Apocrifa Da Vinci
- Comissão Nacional para as Comemorações dos Descobrimentos Portugueses
- Coron Verlag
- De Agostini/UTET
- DIAMM
- E. Schreiber Graphische Kunstanstalten
- Ediciones Boreal
- Ediciones Grial
- Edilan
- Editalia
- Edition Leipzig
- Edition Libri Illustri
- Editiones Reales Sitios S. L.
- Editions Medicina Rara
- Editorial Mintzoa
- Egeria, S.L.
- Extraordinary Editions
- Facsimile Editions Ltd.
- Facsimilia Art & Edition Ebert KG
- Faksimile Verlag
- Franco Cosimo Panini Editore
- Fundación Hullera Vasco-Leonesa
- Giunti Editore
- Graffiti
- Grafica European Center of Fine Arts
- Helikon
- Herder Verlag
- Hes & De Graaf Publishers
- Hugo Schmidt Verlag
- Idion Verlag
- Il Bulino, edizioni d'arte
- Imago
- Insel Verlag
- Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana - Treccani
- Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato
- Kaydeda Ediciones
- La Meta Editore
- Leo S. Olschki
- Libreria Musicale Italiana
- Lumen Artis
- M. Moleiro Editor
- Manuscriptum
- Millennium Liber
- Nova Charta
- Orbis Mediaevalis
- Orbis Pictus
- Österreichische Staatsdruckerei
- Patrimonio Ediciones
- PIAF
- Popyläen Verlag
- Prestel Verlag
- Priuli & Verlucca, editori
- Pro Sport Verlag
- Pytheas Books
- Quaternio Verlag Luzern
- Reales Sitios
- Reichert Verlag
- Roberto Vattori Editore
- Salerno Editrice
- Schöck ArtPrint Kft.
- Scrinium
- Scripta Maneant
- Scriptorium
- Siloé, arte y bibliofilia
- Styria Verlag
- Tempus Libri
- Testimonio Compañía Editorial
- The Clear Vue Publishing Partnership Limited
- The Facsimile Codex
- The Folio Society
- Tip.Le.Co
- TouchArt
- Trident Editore
- Vallecchi
- Van Wijnen
- Vicent Garcia Editores
- Wiener Mechitharisten-Congregation (Wien, Österreich)
- Yushodo