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.