Nautical Atlas of Battista Agnese

Both of the cartographic works of art here are outstanding examples of Renaissance geography
This elegant map is considered to be one of the most expressive cartographic works of the Quattrocento
Battista Agnese (ca. 1500–64), cartographer to kings and emperors, created a masterpiece with his nautical atlas

Nautical Atlas of Battista Agnese

Banco Rari 32 Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze (Florence, Italy)

Description

Nautical Atlas of Battista Agnese

One of the most exciting epochs in world history made impressively tangible: the Age of Discovery of the 15th and 16th centuries, during which the image of the world was fundamentally changed. The famous Mappa mundi 1457 is one of the most expressive cartographic expressions of the Quattrocento. This world map is appended by the impressive Nautical Atlas of Battista Agnese, the famous Italian cartographer, whose patrons included Emperor Charles V.

Nautical Atlas of Battista Agnese

Cartographic documents were valuable and expensive possessions, for their precious contents on the one hand, and because of the extraordinary art of their making on the other. Often exuberantly adorned, their exterior already testified to their luxury. Both of the cartographic works of art here are outstanding examples of this acclaim. Both the world map as well as the atlas are associated with famous names in Italian history. The former was found in the possession of the Medici, the latter probably in the possession of the Florentine family of Da Sommaia.

A Luxurious 15th Century World Map

The Mappa mundi 1457 is considered to be one of the most expressive cartographic depictions of the Quattrocento. This is a famous document from the Biblioteca Palatina was a possession of the Medici. The impressive world map measuring 39.5 x 79.5 cm was made ca. 1457, probably by a Castilian cartographer. In collaboration with unknown but nevertheless talented miniaturists, the cartographic depiction of the Earth in elliptical form is vividly illustrated and colored. The Mappa mundi is furnished with detailed annotations, sometimes in Latin, sometimes in Italian. Additionally, the use of gold underlines the quality and worth of the map.

A Cartographer for the Emperor and Nobles

The Nautical Atlas of Battista Agnese is a luxurious atlas from the famous collection of Antonio Magliabechi, which, together with the holdings of the famous Biblioteca Palatina, forms the foundation of the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze. The Da Sommaia family’s coat-of-arms adorns a few pages of the precious manuscript and thus probably indicates the patron. Battista Agnese (ca. 1500–1564), the famous cartographer from Genoa with a workshop in Venice, worked for the highest social circles. As a result, he was employed by Emperor Charles V inter alia, who commissioned Agnese with an atlas for his son Philipp II. Agnese was famous for the outstanding quality of his work. He integrated the most recent discoveries into his geographic works.

Masterpiece of Cartography

The Nautical Atlas, which is stored today in the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze, is a masterpiece of cartography and a grandiose attestation to this work by Battista Agnese. The atlas is designed with impressive aesthetics and is naturally also extremely innovative cartographically. The famous atlas is characterized by gorgeous pictorial adornment, e.g. the astronomical depiction of the Earth in the middle of the universe. The most recent historical developments were also taken into account: the route of the world circumnavigation by Ferdinand Magellan and Juan Sebastián Elcano in the year 1519–22 is drawn inter alia.

Codicology

Alternative Titles: Weltkarte des Battista Agnese
Mappa Mundi 1457 Atlante Nautico di Battista Agnese
Mappamondo genovese
Type: Map on parchment
Size / Format: 32 pages (10 maps) / 25.3 × 18.4 cm
Origin: Italy
Date: 1457; 1536–1564
Epochs: Late Middle Ages Onwards
Style: Renaissance
Genre: Geography / Maps
Language: Latin
Illustrations: 10 maps and other illustrations
Content: Nautical Atlas
Artist / School: Battista Agnese
Previous Owners: Medici family
Biblioteca Palatina
Antonio Magliabechi

Available facsimile editions:

Detail Picture

Nautical Atlas of Battista Agnese

West Atlantic and Caribbean

Although the Spaniards ruthlessly sought gold throughout the New World, they and other Europeans came to realized that its true wealth lay in sugar, so-called white gold. In addition to other cash crops like tobacco and salt that could be produced in the Caribbean, sugar plantations fed Europe’s sweet tooth as well as the Atlantic slave trade. The Caribbean was thus thoroughly surveyed in the early 16th century as were its more than 700 islands, each a potential “gold mine”.

Single Page

Nautical Atlas of Battista Agnese

World Map

This famous chart is a gorgeously designed world map that depicts the route taken by Magellan during the first successful circumnavigation of the globe in the years 1519–21. While this route is drawn in black, another is drawn with gold ink because it connects Spain to the goldmines of Peru. In the Pacific Ocean, Baja California is correctly presented as a peninsula unlike 60 years later when cartographers began to depict it as an island.

The map is rendered in an oval projection resembling a modern map, but this fine watercolor was intended for display in the homes of the wealthy and educated rather than see use as a practical tool for sailors at sea. The Anemoi, ancient Greek wind gods who were each ascribed a cardinal direction from which their respective winds came, frame the map with their curly blonde hair blowing in the wind.

Facsimile Editions

#1 Atlante Nautico di Battista Agnese

Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana - Treccani – Rome, 2008

Publisher: Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana - Treccani – Rome, 2008

Limited Edition: 750 copies

Binding: Map comes in a cotton folder. Atlas is bound in leather

Commentary: 2 volumes by Juan Gil, Angelo Cattaneo and Gino Benzoni
Language: Italian

1 volume: Exact reproduction of the original document (extent, color and size) Reproduction of the entire original document as detailed as possible (scope, format, colors). All folios are cut according to the original. The binding may not correspond to the original or current document binding.

Price Category: €€ (1,000€ - 3,000€)

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