Portulan C.G.A.5.d

Portulan C.G.A.5.d

In the 15th century, Spain and Portugal were the lands under whose flags the most expeditions into largely unexplored regions of the world were made. In the course of many expeditions and discoveries, the most renowned school of geography and cartography in Europe took shape in Spain. The maps, which originated during the time of the awakening Renaissance, belong among the most important geographical material of the entire Middle Ages. It is truly astounding, how true to detail and correct the Spanish and Portuguese cartographers could represent the regions of the world they studied, and completely without the modern technical aids of our time. Portulan C.G.A.5.d is an outstanding example of the excellent work of medieval scholars.

What is a Portulan?

The term portulan or portolan originally indicated a book with nautical information such as landmarks, lighthouses, currents, and harbor conditions. According to historical sources, such sea-books already existed in the 13th century. Beginning in the 16th century, the term broadened and from then on comprised not only the written descriptions, but also the accompanying nautical maps, which were contained in books. Today, the term “portulan chart” indicate a very precise type of map. The map Portulan C.G.A.5.d is one of these special maps.

The Medieval World of Navigation

Portulan C.G.A.5.d displays the entire medieval world as it was known to the geographers and cartographers of the Renaissance. The shores of the Atlantic from the British Isles to Cape Bojador in Africa are depicted along with part of Central Europe down to the territories of North Africa. The Alps in particular were decoratively rendered. Similarly, the Pyrenees Mountains and the most important cities of Europe such as Venice, Genoa, Prague, Granada, Santiago de Compostela, and the Balearic Islands are meticulously depicted. The depiction of the African continent is particularly interesting. There the Atlas Mountains tower in luminous colors and an inscription near the Red Sea reminds one of the Flight of the Hebrews from Egypt during which Moses parted that sea.