![Compass rose from Catalan Atlas (1375)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Compass_rose_from_Catalan_Atlas_%281375%29.jpg)
The Catalan Atlas ( ca, Atles català, ) is a medieval world map, or
mappamundi, created in 1375 that has been described as the most important map of the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
in the
Catalan language
Catalan (; autonym: , ), known in the Valencian Community and Carche as ''Valencian'' (autonym: ), is a Western Romance language. It is the official language of Andorra, and an official language of three autonomous communities in eastern Spa ...
,
and as "the zenith of medieval map-work".
It was produced by the
Majorcan cartographic school
"Majorcan cartographic school" is the term coined by historians to refer to the collection of predominantly Jewish cartographers, cosmographers and navigational instrument-makers and some Christian associates that flourished in Majorca in the 1 ...
, possibly by
Cresques Abraham, a Jewish book
illuminator who was described by a contemporary as a master of ''
mappae mundi'' as well as of compasses.
It was in the royal library of France by 1380, during the reign of
King Charles V, and is still preserved in the
Bibliothèque nationale de France
The Bibliothèque nationale de France (, 'National Library of France'; BnF) is the national library of France, located in Paris on two main sites known respectively as ''Richelieu'' and ''François-Mitterrand''. It is the national repository ...
. The Catalan Atlas originally consisted of six
vellum
Vellum is prepared animal skin or membrane, typically used as writing material. Parchment is another term for this material, from which vellum is sometimes distinguished, when it is made from calfskin, as opposed to that made from other anima ...
leaves (each circa ) folded vertically, painted in various colours including gold and silver.
They were later mounted on the front and back of five wooden panels, with the ends enclosed in a leather binding by
Simon Vostre
Simon may refer to:
People
* Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon
* Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon
* Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...
c.1515, restored most recently in 1991. Wear has split each leaf into two.
Description
The first two leaves contain texts in Catalan covering
cosmography,
astronomy
Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...
, and
astrology
Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of Celestial o ...
. These texts are accompanied by illustrations. The texts and illustration emphasise the Earth's spherical shape and the state of the known world. They also provide information to sailors on tides and how to tell time at night.
The four remaining leaves make up the actual map, with
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
located close to the centre; two depict the Orient; the remaining two show Europe, along with North and West Africa. The map is around in size. It shows illustrations of many cities—Christian cities with a cross, other cities with a dome—and with each city's political allegiance indicated by a flag. Wavy blue vertical lines are used to symbolise oceans. Place names of important ports are transcribed in red, while others are indicated in black. The illustrations and most of the text are oriented towards the edges of the map, suggesting it was intended to be used by laying it flat and walking around it.
The oriental portion of the Catalan Atlas illustrates numerous religious references as well as a synthesis of medieval ''
mappae mundi'' and the travel literature of the time, especially
Marco Polo
Marco Polo (, , ; 8 January 1324) was a Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in ''The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known as ''Book of the Marv ...
's ''
Book of Marvels'' and
Mandeville's ''Travels and Voyage of Sir John Mandeville''. Many Indian and Chinese cities can be identified.
The explanatory texts report customs described by Polo and catalogue local economic resources, real or supposed.
The Western portion is similar to contemporary
portolan charts, but contains the first
compass rose
A compass rose, sometimes called a wind rose, rose of the winds or compass star, is a figure on a compass, map, nautical chart, or monument used to display the orientation of the cardinal directions (north, east, south, and west) and their int ...
known to have been used on such a chart.
Gallery
File:Atles català (full 1, ca000003).jpg, Reproduction of the first leaf
File:Atles català (full 2, ca000001).jpg, Reproduction of the second leaf
File:1375 Atlas Catalan Abraham Cresques.jpg, Montage of 8 pages (the third to sixth leaves) of the original 1375 Catalan Atlas
File:El mar Mediterráneo en el Atlas catalán de Cresques Abraham.jpg, Modern copy of western half
See also
*
Rhumbline network
A rhumbline network, more properly called, a windrose network, or sometimes also called harbour-finding chart, compass chart, or rhumb chart, is a navigational aid drawn on early portolan charts dating from the medieval to early modern perio ...
References
Further reading
*
External links
Bibliothèque nationale de France – L'Atlas Catalan
ia archive.org
IA, Ia, or ia may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Ia'', an 1892 novelette by Arthur Quiller-Couch
* "Iä", a fictional word in the works of H. P. Lovecraft
* International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), which also goes by ...
www.cresquesproject.net– translation of the works of Riera i Sans and Gabriel Llompart on the Jewish Majorcan Map-makers of the Late Middle Ages
Abraham Cresques ? Atlas de cartes marines, dit [Atlas catalan/nowiki>">tlas catalan">
Abraham Cresques ? Atlas de cartes marines, dit [Atlas catalan
/nowiki> gallica.bnf.fr
{{Authority control
Atlases
History of Catalonia
History of the Balearic Islands
14th century in Aragon
1370s works
Bibliothèque nationale de France collections
14th-century maps
Historic maps of the world