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Guide To Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in the Huntington Library
HM 39View all images for this manuscript PORTOLAN ATLAS, anonymous
World atlas containing 18 nautical charts:
1. ff. 25v-26: Black Sea, Anatolia
2. ff. 28v-29: Caspian Sea, Persian Gulf
3. ff. 31v-32: Southern South America
4. ff. 34v-35: Northwest South America, Central America, and West Indies
5. ff. 37v-38: East coast of South America
6. ff. 40v-41: East coast of North America and West Indies
7. ff. 43v-44: North coast of South America, east coast of North America and West Indies
8. ff. 46v-47: Mediterranean and eastern Europe
9. ff. 49v-50: Northern Atlantic Ocean, European coast, Greenland, Iceland
10. ff. 52v-53: Northwest Africa, Mediterranean area, southern Europe
11. ff. 55v-56: South Atlantic Ocean, southern Africa
12. ff. 58v-59: Southern Africa and southwest Indian Ocean
13. ff. 61v-62: Arabia, Black Sea, Caspian Sea, Red Sea, and Persian Gulf
14. ff. 64v-65: Northern Indian Ocean, India
15. ff. 67v-68: Southern portion of east coast of Asia, part of East Indies
16. ff. 70v-71: Northern portion of east coast of Asia, part of East Indies
17. ff. 73v-74: Western coast of United States and Mexico
18. ff. 76v-77: Southern portion of west coast of Mexico and Central America
19. Laid in: Unrelated black ink map of Mexico City and environs, made after 1652, 313 × 430 mm., in Spanish
Native paper, ff. 181; the charts are drawn across openings on ff. 25v-77 with folios left blank between charts; ff. 86v-113 have black rhumb lines
drawn on alternate openings in preparation for making charts, but these prepared pages have been glued together so only the
blank sides show; 355 × 270 mm. (map size, 340 × 525 mm. across double page openings). 18(blank leaves) 210(blank leaves) 310(ff. 19-25 blank) 410 510 610 710 (ff. 79-80 and remaining leaves, blank).
Single ruled black borders.
Black and red ink for nomenclature in a minuscule script with area names in display scripts; land masses outlined in color, with islands painted blue, green, red, or gold; one compass rose on each chart (except ff.
55v-56, which has none) with usual 32 rhumb line network in black, red, and green ink for the principal directions; a numbered
latitude scale on each chart with oblique meridians also on ff. 40v-41 and 49v-50, no longitude; each chart has an unnumbered
scale of distance in an elaborate cartouche; highly decorated in colors and gold.
Bound, s. XVII, in limp brown leather, blind tooled.
Maturity of delineation of Japan and detailed knowledge of Asian and East Indian areas coupled with Portuguese language suggest
map may have been made in Macao about 1630.
The notations on f. 180v “De Gaspar Mĩz” [Martínez?], “K” on f. lv and “No 36” written on binding in seventeenth century hands may indicate early owners. Sold in 1863 by Bernard Quaritch to Henry Huth (1815-78). Huth ex libris on inside front cover. Notation “Portolano (5) p. 1171” pencilled on f. 1 indicates The Huth Library (1880) pt. 4, 1171.
“H 5917” written on same page is from sale of Alfred Henry Huth (1850-1910), Sotheby’s, 11 July 1917, pt. VI, n. 5917 to G. D. Smith from whom it was acquired by Henry E. Huntington.
Bibliography: Cortesão, Cartografia, 1:168-70. De Ricci, 43. Wagner, Portolan Atlases, 9-10. PMC, 5:23-24, with all 18 charts reproduced on pls. 535-39 (ff. 55v-56 and 58v-59 in color).Macao (?), ca. 1630 Abbreviations
C. W. Dutschke with the assistance of R. H. Rouse et al., Guide to Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts in the Huntington Library (San Marino, 1989). Copyright 1989.
Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery, San Marino, California. Electronic version encoded by Sharon K, Goetz, 2003. All rights to the cataloguing and images in Digital Scriptorium reside with the contributing institutions. |