Map of Brazil from 1606 – Delle Navigationi et Viaggi Raccolta… “Brazil”, Ramusio, Giovanni Battista This fascinating pictorial map is one of the first regional maps of Brazil. Illustrated with north to the right, the map is full of vignettes depicting native life rather than concentrating on geographical information. Indians are shown with bows and arrows, axes, llamas and hammocks, for which Brazilians are well known. The surrounding ocean is filled with French and Portuguese ships and sea monsters. Along the coast, Europeans are shown interacting with the natives. What little geographical information is given is rather inaccurate. The Amazon River (here called the Maranon F.) and the Paraná River originate from lakes near an erupting volcano. Mountains and false rivers fill the western part of Brazil, labelled Terra non Discoperta (undiscovered land). This woodcut map is from the second block cut in 1565 after the original was destroyed in a fire at Thomaso Guinti’s print shop in 1557. In the second block, Descoperta is written at the top centre instead of Discoperta. The second block was used again in 1606 and differs from the previous print in that the block was damaged by woodworm. The small blank areas in the margin and in the seas suggest that this copy was made from the woodworm-damaged block. Many of the blocks for the 1554 edition of Ramusio’s Delle Navigationi Et Viaggi were made by the great Venetian cartographer Giacomo Gastaldi.
Map of Brazil from 1606 – Delle Navigationi et Viaggi Raccolta…
“Brazil”, Ramusio, Giovanni Battista
This fascinating pictorial map is one of the first regional maps of Brazil. Illustrated with north to the right, the map is full of vignettes depicting native life rather than concentrating on geographical information.
Indians are shown with bows and arrows, axes, llamas and hammocks, for which Brazilians are well known.
The surrounding ocean is filled with French and Portuguese ships and sea monsters.
Along the coast, Europeans are shown interacting with the natives.
What little geographical information is given is rather inaccurate.
The Amazon River (here called the Maranon F.) and the Paraná River originate from lakes near an erupting volcano.
Mountains and false rivers fill the western part of Brazil, labelled Terra non Discoperta (undiscovered land).
This woodcut map is from the second block cut in 1565 after the original was destroyed in a fire at Thomaso Guinti’s print shop in 1557. In the second block, Descoperta is written at the top centre instead of Discoperta.
The second block was used again in 1606 and differs from the previous print in that the block was damaged by woodworm.
The small blank areas in the margin and in the seas suggest that this copy was made from the woodworm-damaged block.
Many of the blocks for the 1554 edition of Ramusio’s Delle Navigationi Et Viaggi were made by the great Venetian cartographer Giacomo Gastaldi.
