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NOTE: The following material is © The Bibliothèque Nationale de
France (BNF)
The Catalan Atlas, is the finest work to come from the Majorcan
cartographic school of the fourteenth century. Most probably
produced in 1375 (the date that appears on the perpetual calendar
accompanying the maps) and attributed, though without certainty, to
Cresques
Abraham , the atlas was already recorded in Charles V's library,
in the inventory drawn up by Gilles Malet and copied by Jean
Blanchet in 1380 (" une quarte de mer en tabliaux faicte par
manière de unes tables, painte et ystoriee, figuree et escripte et
fermant a iiii fermoers ").
Cosmographical diagram: perpetual
calendar.
(BNF, Esp 30), The Catalan Atlas, Spain, Majorca 14th century.
The Catalan Atlas was originally composed of 6 vellum leaves
folded down the middle ; the leaves are now cut in half. They are
painted in various colors, gold, and silver ; each half-leaf is
mounted on one side of five wooden panels, the first half of the
first leaf and the second half of the last leaf are mounted on the
inner boards of a brown leather binding. Each leaf measures
approximately 65 x 50 cm, for an overall size of 65 x 300 cm.
The first two leaves contain a compilation of cosmographical,
astronomical, and astrological texts translated into Catalan. These texts emphasize the earth's spherical shape and the
state of the known world ; they also provide useful information to
sailors on tides and how to reckon time at night. The texts are
accompanied by several illustrations : a tide table, a perpetual calendar, the figure of a man marked with the signs of the zodiac, and a large, circular chart framed by the four seasons which
gives information on the zodiac, the seven known planets, and a
diagram of the constellations:
Cosmographical diagram: the Earth,
personified by an astronomer holding an astrolabe, is situated in
the center of the Universe. It is surrounded by concentric circles
representing the four elements, the seven planets (the spheres and
their personifications), the signs of the zodiac, the positions and
phases of the moon. The diagram is framed by the personifications of
the four seasons.
(BNF, Esp 30), The Catalan Atlas, Spain, Majorca 14th century.
The four remaining leaves make up the actual map, which is
divided into two principal parts. The map shows many illustrations
of cities, whose political allegiances are symbolized by a flag. Christian cities are marked with a cross, other cities with a dome. Seas and oceans are symbolized by wavy blue vertical lines. And as is usual for nautical charts, place names of important
ports are transcribed in red, while others are indicated in black.
Unlike many other nautical charts, the Catalan Atlas is meant to
be read with the north at the bottom ; thus the maps are oriented
from left to right, from the Far East to the Atlantic. The
assemblage of plates giving an overall view of the document is
presented as it is meant to be read, in other words with the south
uppermost ; but to facilitate consultation, excerpts from the Atlas
are shown with the north uppermost.
The two last leaves form a fairly standard portolan chart of the same type as
Angelino Dulcert's 1339 map. However, at the westernmost point, near
the first wind rose (compass card) ever drawn on a portolan chart, is a commentary concerning the mythical " Iles
Beneventurades, " the Fortunate Islands described by Pliny the
Elder and Isidore of Seville, as well as an illustration of the no
less mythical" Insula de Brazil ". Also worthy of note is
the repetition of the islands of Corsica and Sardinia on two
successive leaves creating an area of 'overlap' in the middle of the
Mediterranean Sea, (this feature does not occur in the oriental portion of the
Atlas). In Africa several sovereigns are portrayed (including the king of Mali,
" Musse Melly, " Mansa Musa, who wields a scepter ornamented with a fleur-de-lys, and the
king of Organa, an armed Saracen). " Tenbuch " (Timbuktu) is also represented, as is the ship of Jaume Ferrer who set sail
in 1346 for the " Riu del Or " (River of Gold) in quest of a sea route around the Atlas mountains, which
impeded travel to the African interior where the Genoese and
Catalans hoped to find gold and ivory.
The first two leaves, which form the oriental portion of the Catalan Atlas,
illustrate numerous religious references as well as a synthesis of
medieval mappae mundi (Jerusalem is situated virtually at the
document's center) and the travel literature of the time, notably
Marco Polo's Book of Marvels and the Travels and Voyage of Sir John
Mandeville. For example in the land of 'Catayo' (China), the map
shows the city of 'Chambaleth' (Beijing) where the Great Khan resides, Sumatra (" Illa Trapobana
"), and a coastline edged with a multitude of many-colored islands
that recalls the circumfluent ocean of the Orbis Terrarum. To the east of the Caspian Sea, the map is based on biblical
and mythological references, as well as on borrowings from
travelers' narratives : Moses' passage of the Red Sea, Mount Sinai, Mount Ararat, the Tower of Babel, the Magi following the star, Christ the King, Mecca, Babylon, the Queen of Sheba, " Illa Jana, " home of the mythical realm of the
Amazons (" Regio Femarum " (sic)), Sirens, the kingdom of Gog and Magog, Alexander the Great, Pygmies battling storks (whose presence in the mountains of
Asia was attested by Pliny the Elder, but refuted by Marco Polo), etc.
Despite the map's rather approximate cartographical design, many
Indian and Chinese cities can be identified. The explanatory texts report customs
described by Marco Poloand catalogue local economic resources, real ones or supposed ones. This, indeed, is perhaps the most interesting aspect of the
Catalan Atlas : to the east of the well-defined Mediterranean world
lie immense regions whose economic importance is clearly understood,
but which remain mysterious and unexplored. This world of spices,
silks, and fabulous riches described by Marco Polo is the one that
Christopher Columbus would attempt to reach by a western route 117
years later.
The Majorcan Cartographic
School
The oldest sea charts in existence, linked to the emergence of
the compass, are of Genoese or Venetian origin ; the earliest
examples date from the late thirteenth century. They generally show
the Mediterranean basin (" Mare nostrum " ) drafted with
astonishing cartographic precision, considering the technical means
available to the mapmakers of that time.
In 1137 the kingdom of Aragon incorporated Catalonia, a trading
partner of North Africa where mapmaking was a strong tradition, and
later annexed the Balearic Islands in 1229. These circumstances
fostered the rise of a highly important and flourishing cartographic
school, owing in particular to the contributions of Arab and Jewish
scholars. What characterized this school was its lavish, vividly
colored illustrations (of cities, significant geographical features,
portraits of foreign rulers, rich toponymy, etc.). Even before the
first map was produced in Majorca, the Catalan scholar Ramon Llull
included the sea chart among navigational instruments, on a par with
the compass. In 1354 King Peter of Aragon decreed that two charts
should be carried on all the ships of the realm.
The portolan chart drafted in 1339 by Angelino Dulcert (BNF, Res
Ge B 696), was the first map known for certain to have been produced
in Palma, on Majorca. It is thus one of the " prototypes "
of Catalan maps drawn in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. All
of the typical features are present : colors, place names, drawings
of topographical details (mountains, rivers, lakes, major cities,
ports or inland towns, personalities, etc.), as well as keys and
explanatory notes written in Latin, all features not usually found
on Genoese or Venetian portolans. Moreover, this document marks a
departure from the strictly " Mediterranean " frame of
reference of earlier portolans, for it attempts to represent
northern Europe and include more information concerning Africa.
The Catalan Atlas, dated 1375 and attributed to Cresques
Abraham, presents important similarities with Dulcert's portolan
chart in the drawing of its occidental portion, augmented with a
great number of explanatory legends. Its originality lies in the
addition of an oriental half which is not based on the experience of
Mediterranean sailors, as was the case with portolan charts, but
makes use of all manner of sources, including the account of Marco
Polo's voyage in the late thirteenth century.
The portolan drafted in 1413 by Mecia de Viladestes (BNF, Res. Ge
AA 566) is another interesting example of the Majorcan school. It
reproduces the geographical framework of Dulcert's portolan chart,
the rich array of paintings and explanatory legends of the Catalan
Atlas, and it reflects the same fascination with African gold and
knowledge of the overland routes leading to it.
The Majorcan cartographic school significantly changed the way
nautical charts and land maps were produced : Catalan cartographers
skillfully incorporated the most up-to-date information into their
maps, thus altering the traditional framework of nautical charts. In
this critical
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