![]() This map closely resembles what we would consider a work of ![]() Sea before having to return when his route was blocked by conflicts. He made it to Persia and crossed the Caspian Tsar Ivan the Terrible, who allowed him to travel through his lands. Jenkinson made it to Russia where he met with He was an ambassador of Queen Elizabeth I and agent of the MuscovyĬompany, sent to Russia in 1557 to find a route to China. This map was produced in c.1567, based on the observationsĪnd writings of Englishman Anthony Jenkinson. Therefore, this map it a visual embodiment of the belief that Europeans were building on and surpassing the wisdom of ancient Greece and Rome.Īnthony Jenkinson, Wall Map of Russia, c.1567 Alongside this, he includes inscriptions about the recent discoveries of the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and Italian traveller and diarist Ludovico di Varthema. ![]() At the bottom of this image, Ortelius quotes Cicero: “Who can consider human affairs to be great, when he comprehends the eternity and vastness of the entire world”. Just as Mercator’s map is a visual representation of the need to situate Europe within an expanding world, Ortelius uses his atlas to situate himself within history. His maps are a visual representation of the Renaissance mindset, which revolved around building on, and surpassing, the authorities of antiquity. Ortelius used accounts of contemporary voyages alongside texts of ancient authorities to piece together these maps. In fact, these “map books” and similarly detailed wall maps wereĬommissioned by buyers, just as a patron commissioned a painting from an They were not used by sailors but bought by Once again, these atlases were luxury objects. Practices of the region and its inhabitants. The first edition was comprised of 53 sheets,Īnd for each map there was a description of the economic, social, and cultural Just a year after Mercator’s ground-breaking world map,Ībraham Ortelius of Antwerp produced the first atlas. Like paintings and sculptures, they were sought after and commissioned by the wealthiest in European society to reflect their power and worldview.Ībraham Ortelius, Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, 1570 His map embodied European culture at the time, and such objects became a luxury. Mercator shows the extent of European discovery by 1569 and demonstrates the prevailing belief in European superiority by placing Europe at the centre of the map. Europeans were opening their minds to a new global dimension and placing themselves within this changing world. Mercator’s intention to map the whole world reflects the Renaissance mindset. Such use, and although it was detailed, it was far from accurate and extremely The size of the map made it impractical for Was not a navigational tool used by sailors. Produced to date, using the most recent accounts from European explorers, it While this was one of the most accurate maps Size, made up of eighteen sheets of paper, measuring 202 by 124 cm. It is immediately impressive due to its sheer Unique projection of the earth still forms the basis of maps today. Gerard Mercator was a calligrapher, engraver, and publisher from Thus, Renaissance visual culture took on a new global dimension. New maps were produced for this “age of discovery”, reflecting changing theological and philosophical thought, as Europeans had to come to terms with an expanding world. At the same time, European states began to explore beyond the Mediterranean. From the mid-fifteenth century, Italian humanists rediscovered the golden ages of Greek and Roman antiquity, leading to a revolution in art and philosophy. Early modern map-making was considered an art, contributing to the diverse visual culture of Renaissance Europe. The skilled craft of cartography, or map-making, transcended the creation of functional objects. ![]() In diverse forms and had diverse functions.ĭuring the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, art was closely linked toįrom the Latin “ars”, meaning skilled work.Īs a result, historians tend to use the broader concept of “visualĬulture” when considering Renaissance “art”. Prior to, and during the Renaissance, art was more than anĪesthetic entity viewed for its own sake. However, before the late-sixteenth century, notions To dominate our modern interpretation of what constitutes “art”. The first academy of art was established in Florence in 1563Īnd focused on the three “arts of design”: painting, sculpture, and
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