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One of the Earliest Obtainable Maps of Cuba
Isola Cuba Nova, first published by Girolamo Ruscelli and published in Venice in 1561, stands as one of the earliest known separate maps of Cuba. The map first appeared in the 1561 edition of Ruscelli's version of Ptolemy's Geografia, an influential work that guided the development of Renaissance cartography.
This map not only focuses on Cuba but also includes representations of "Iamayca" and "Isola Espanola," now known as Jamaica and Hispaniola respectively. The inclusion of these neighboring islands provides additional geographical context to this piece, highlighting the significant aspects of the Caribbean Sea during the period.
This example is the scarce third state, the first to include the sea monster.
Girolamo Ruscelli (1500-1566) was a cartographer, humanist, and scholar from Tuscany. Ruscelli was a prominent writer and editor in his time, writing about a wide variety of topics including the works of Giovanni Boccaccio and Francesco Petrarch, Italian language, Italian poetry, medicine, alchemy, and militia. One of his most notable works was a translation of Ptolemy’s Geographia which was published posthumously.
There is limited information available about Ruscelli’s life. He was born in the Tuscan city of Viterbo to a family of modest means. He was educated at the University of Padua and moved between Rome and Naples until 1548, when he moved to Naples to work in a publishing house as a writer and proofreader. He remained in the city until his death in 1566.
![Cuba. Western Portion. [with:] Cuba. Eastern Portion](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/90688.jpg)
