BORDONE, Benedetto

[Leeward Islands. Guadalupe. Martinique]

Venice: Francesco di Leno, 1534.

Map with text, double-sided. Woodcut. Sheet measures 8" x 12 1/8".

Rare single sheet from Bordone's "Isolario" presenting maps of Guadalupe, Matinina [Martinique], and a map of eight islands of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, accompanied by text on both sides. An illustration of a leafy forest fills the map of Guadalupe, and a mountainous landscape with caves and tall trees illustrates the map of Martinique. The style of both the maps and text differs from classical geographical atlases of the time, as Isolarii were books mapping islands and coastlines from an outsider point of view, including cultural information, history, and details not found in a traditional atlas. Isolarii maps tend to be less geographically precise, as they served as guidebooks for ambitious sailors rather than navigation tools. The genre also became popular with laymen interested in the "discoveries" of European colonizers and stories of peoples different from their own. Bordone's Isolario attempted to map every known island in the world including areas never before mapped- the first European printed map of Japan appeared in Bordone's Isolario. On this sheet, the text describes the people of Guadalupe as uncivilized, cannibalistic, and inhabited only by men, though it goes on to describe inhabitants built structures for living and recreation, kept parrots and waterfowl, and slept in beds. The text also describes Martinique as an island inhabited only by women, who meet with the men of Guadalupe twice a year for procreation. The sheet has scattered staining, and some wormholes in the margins that have been reinforced.

Benedetto Bordone (died 1531) was a Venetian engraver, cartographer, miniaturist, and manuscript editor during the Renaissance. He was most known for his book "Isolario", an illustrated guidebook for sailors looking to navigate islands around the world. Bordone was the first to create an ovular world map, now known as an equal-area Mollweide projection. This is a fine example of his fascinating work.

Binding: Unbound
Language: English

Price: $850.00

Item #330148