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Martin Waldseemuller: Tabula Terre Nove [The Admiral's Map]
Title: Tabula Terre Nove [The Admiral's Map] Map Maker: Martin Waldseemuller
Description: Extraordinary full color example of Waldseemuller’s map of 1513, the earliest obtainable map to focus on America. The Waldseemuller was the first printed atlas map to focus on the New World. Waldseemuller’s map is preceded only by the small map of the Spanish Main by Peter Martyr in Seville, 1511 (12 surviving examples known) and Johannes Stobncza's map of 1512 (3 surviving examples). The map shows a continuous coastline between North and South America, with the massive east-west coastline of South America being the map's single largest feature, extending south to approximately the Rio de la Plata lies. In the Caribbean, the islands of Cuba (named Isabella, after Queen Isabella of Spain), Hispaniola (Spagnolla), and Puerto Rico (Boriguem) are shown, along with numberous other islands. Continuing north, North America is plotted to beyond the mouth of the St. Lawrence; at the correct latitude of the St. Lawrence there is a river named Caninor, quite possibly the St. Lawrence. This region had almost certainly been already explored by various Bristol expeditions. In all, about 20 place names are shown on the North American Coastline, drawn primarily from Portugese sources, including the Cantino Portolano World Map of 1502 and the Caveri World Map of 1505 ca. The representations of Florida pre-dates any recorded European contact, as does the mapping of the Gulf of Mexico prior Pineda’s voyage of 1519, suggesting Waldseemuller had access to the reports of unrecorded voyages prior to 1513. The inscription in South America notes that the land and adjacent island were discovered by Columbus, under the authority of the King of Castille. Waldseemuller had previously credited Amerigo Vespucci with the discovery of America. This note was apparently an attempt to correct this error (albeit unsuccessful when it came to the naming of the continent). In the text to his 1513 edition of Ptolemy, Waldseemuller refers to the Admiral as the source of the map. While it had for many years been assumed that "the Admiral" was a reference to Columbus, it is now believed that the reference is to Caveri’s map of 1505. A copy of the Caveri exists in the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris. Condition Description: Fine old color example References: Burden 3; Deak 5; Harrisse pp 442 & 477; Karrow pp. 563-93; Pastoureau 371-75.
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