This image shows a leaf from Benedetto Bordone's Isolario, a famous Renaissance work first published in 1528, containing maps of various islands.
The leaf presents two maps on the recto (front) side and one map on the verso (back) side, each depicting islands in the Adriatic Sea, now part of modern-day Croatia and Italy.
Liezena (Hvar) and Curzola (Korčula)
The recto side contains two hand-colored maps:
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The upper map shows the islands of Liezena (Hvar) and Curzola (Korčula), along with the surrounding islands and coastlines, including Brač to the north and the Pelješac peninsula. The islands are labeled in Italian, and important features such as mountains, towns, and harbors are indicated using simple but effective cartographic symbols.
- Hvar (Liezena) is the largest island in this map section and includes various labeled settlements, showcasing its importance as a maritime and trading hub during the Renaissance.
- Korčula (Curzola) is similarly detailed, situated near the Pelješac peninsula, indicating its strategic position in Adriatic trade routes.
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The lower map continues with a focus on Korčula, showing its surrounding smaller islands, and the adjacent coastline. Islands such as Meleda (Mljet) and Augusta are illustrated, emphasizing the geography of the southeastern Adriatic coast.
The text surrounding these maps describes the geographical and navigational importance of these islands, their historical significance, and their ancient names. The text provides detailed descriptions of the islands, referencing their ancient history and importance during Bordone’s time as key locations in the Mediterranean maritime trade network.
San Nicola as part of the Tremiti Islands
On the verso, we find a beautifully hand-colored map of San Nicola in the Tremiti Islands, also located in the Adriatic Sea. This island is shown with a fortress-like structure, likely indicating the monastery on San Nicola, which was a prominent feature of the island during the Renaissance.
The Tremiti Islands are illustrated in their typical circular pattern, with San Nicola prominently shown in the center. The surrounding text describes the significance of these islands, particularly their ancient and religious importance, given their long history of occupation and strategic location in the Adriatic.
Benedetto Bordone (1460-1531) was a polymath who was born in Padua and worked in Venice. He was an illuminator, engraver, miniaturist, editor, and geographer. It is possible he made the first globe in Italy. His most famous work is the Isolario, or Book of Islands, which included many of the earliest printed maps of islands in the New World.
Bordone, a prominent Venetian manuscript editor, miniaturist, and cartographer, was born in Padua, a city that was then part of the Republic of Venice. Although his exact date of birth remains unknown, historical records indicate that his parents married in Padua in 1442, and he himself was married in 1480. Bordone's contributions to the field of cartography, particularly through his seminal work, Isolario, have cemented his legacy as a pivotal figure in the Renaissance cartographic tradition.
Bordone's most renowned work, Isolario (The Book of Islands), printed in Venice in 1528, is a comprehensive compilation that describes all the known islands of the world. The book offers detailed accounts of each island's folklore, myths, cultures, climates, geographical situations, and historical narratives. It stands as a testament to the popularity of the isolario genre in 15th and 16th century Italy and serves as an illustrated guide for sailors, incorporating the era's latest transatlantic discoveries.
One of the notable features of Isolario is an oval depiction of the world, a map type invented by Bordone. This innovation was later formalized into the equal-area elliptical Mollweide projection three centuries afterward. Bordone's map portrays a distorted view of the New World, showing only the northern regions of South America and depicting North America as a large island labeled Terra del Laboratore (Land of the Worker), a likely reference to the region's active slave trade during that period, which also influenced the name Labrador.
The book also contains the earliest known printed account of Francisco Pizarro's conquest of Peru, making it a significant historical document. Among the numerous woodcut maps included in Isolario, twelve are dedicated to the Americas. These maps feature a plan of "Temistitan" (Tenochtitlan, modern Mexico City) before its destruction by Hernán Cortés, and a map of Ciampagu, the earliest known European-printed map of Japan depicted as an island.
Benedetto Bordone's familial connections are also of interest; he is reputed to have been the father of Julius Caesar Scaliger, a noted classical scholar, and the grandfather of Joseph Justus Scaliger, who is recognized as the founder of the science of historical chronology. The original maps from Bordone's Isolario are highly valued today for their historical significance and intricate craftsmanship. Through his work, Bordone has left an indelible mark on the history of cartography, providing invaluable insights into the geographical knowledge and cultural perceptions of his time.