SLIDE 366
TITLE: Carta marina et descriptio septentrionalium
terrarum ac mirabilium rerum in eis contentarum diligentissme elaborata
DATE: 1539, 1572
AUTHOR: Olaus [Magnusson] Magnus (1490-1558)
DESCRIPTION: The Carta Marina, or marine map, in either edition,
is a very rare map which was orginally printed on nine leaves from
woodblocks in 1539 and published under the patronage of Hieronymo Quirino,
Patriarch of the Republic of Venice. Two years later in 1541 the Pope made
Olaus the Catholic Archbishop of Uppsala. In 1555, Olaus, who had entered
the Swedish convent of St. Birgitta in Rome, published a Historia de
Gentibus septentrionalibus, "a treatise concerning the Northern
Peoples", which was a lengthy compendium on the "topography, natural
history, ethnology and economic and political conditions of the countries
depicted" on his map. It was the first large-scale map of a European
region and remained the most important source map of the northern regions
for cartographers throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. As can be seen,
the map is a wealth of finely executed knowledge because, in addition to
its detailed physical geography, it is embellished with over 100 miniature
engravings showing fantastic creatures, ships, local customs, costumes and
regional fauna embracing Norway, Sweden, Demark and Iceland. Among the animals
depicted are elk, reindeer, lynk, bear, foxes, horses, wolves, gluttons(wolverine)
, otters, marten, sable, and even rodents such as beaverm squirrel, mountain
hares, and mice being eaten by a dragon and foxes. There is a horse in west
Frisia which is obviously not domesticated and there is a picture of the
now extinct wild aurochs, or wild ox, in Russia. A wild pig storms through
White Russia and the lakes and oceans are filled with fish of all types.
Birds are numerous, from pelicans to many sorts of birds of prey. There
are also snakes shown. On the human side, there are historic events such
as battles being played out, skiiers, kings on thrones and various exmples
of hunting and fishing.
Only one example of the original is known to survive, which is now in the
Munich State Library. Latter printed in reduced scale from two engraved
copper plates on two sheets by Antonio Laferi in Rome in 1572, this map
of the Scandinavian area is one of the most notable maps of the 16th century.
LOCATION: Munich State Library
REFERENCES:
*George, W., Animals & Maps, pp. 103-105, 111, 113-117, 120, 167, Figure
5.6
*Goss, J., The Mapmaker's Art, pp. 343, 344, PLates 12.1, 12.2
*Nordenskiold, A.E., Facsimilie Atlas, pp. 117, 118ff
*Lynam, E., The Carta Marina of Olaus Magnus, Venice 1539 & Rome 1572,
1949
*The World Encompassed, #151, Plate XLIII
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