Corbitis Atlas
Encyclopedia
The Corbitis Atlas is a late 14th-century atlas of four portolan chart
s, composed by an anonymous Venetian
cartographer, and currently held by the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana
in Venice
, Italy.
cartographer, possibly by the same author of the Pinelli–Walckenaer Atlas
. The Corbitis atlas was once believed to be dated 1368 (on account of a misreading of the label y(sole) 368 on the fifth folio). More recent readings suggest it was made between 1384 and 1410, with possible later emendations.
The map has the simple inscription "hec tabula ex testamento d[omi]nj nicholaj de co[r]bitis deuenit monast[eri]o cart[husiano] flore[ntino]", implying the Corbitis atlas must have belonged to a certain Corbizzi family of Florence in the 14th C., and was held by the monastery of Certosa del Galluzzo. The inscription was previously misread as "Combitis", a name by which the atlas is sometimes referred to in older sources.
The Corbitis Atlas is currently held (Ms. It. VI 213) by the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana
in Venice
, Italy.
s, each measuring 31 × 19 cm, with each chart covering two folios:
The third sheet (North Atlantic) includes the mythical islands of y.fortunate, y beate, y.368 and the montagna de sco brandan (St. Brendan's Island
).
The fourth sheet (South Atlantic) covers the west African coast down to inbugder (Cape Bojador
) and several Atlantic islands, using the same labels found already in earlier charts (e.g. the 1351 Medici Atlas
, the 1367 Pizzigani brothers chart, etc.). As laid out in the Corbitis atlas, the islands are:
Portolan chart
Portolan charts are navigational maps based on realistic descriptions of harbours and coasts. They were first made in the 14th century in Italy, Portugal and Spain...
s, composed by an anonymous Venetian
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice or Venetian Republic was a state originating from the city of Venice in Northeastern Italy. It existed for over a millennium, from the late 7th century until 1797. It was formally known as the Most Serene Republic of Venice and is often referred to as La Serenissima, in...
cartographer, and currently held by the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana
Biblioteca Marciana
The Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana is a library and Renaissance building in Venice, northern Italy; it is one of the earliest surviving public manuscript depositories in the country, holding one of the greatest classical texts collections in the world. The library is named after St. Mark, the...
in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, Italy.
Background
The atlas was made by an anonymous VenetianVenice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
cartographer, possibly by the same author of the Pinelli–Walckenaer Atlas
Pinelli–Walckenaer Atlas
The Pinelli–Walckenaer Atlas is a late 14th-century atlas of portolan charts, explicitly dated 1384, primarily composed by an anonymous Venetian cartographer, and held by the British Library.- Background :...
. The Corbitis atlas was once believed to be dated 1368 (on account of a misreading of the label y(sole) 368 on the fifth folio). More recent readings suggest it was made between 1384 and 1410, with possible later emendations.
The map has the simple inscription "hec tabula ex testamento d[omi]nj nicholaj de co[r]bitis deuenit monast[eri]o cart[husiano] flore[ntino]", implying the Corbitis atlas must have belonged to a certain Corbizzi family of Florence in the 14th C., and was held by the monastery of Certosa del Galluzzo. The inscription was previously misread as "Combitis", a name by which the atlas is sometimes referred to in older sources.
The Corbitis Atlas is currently held (Ms. It. VI 213) by the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana
Biblioteca Marciana
The Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana is a library and Renaissance building in Venice, northern Italy; it is one of the earliest surviving public manuscript depositories in the country, holding one of the greatest classical texts collections in the world. The library is named after St. Mark, the...
in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, Italy.
Features
The Corbitis atlas is composed of four portolan chartPortolan chart
Portolan charts are navigational maps based on realistic descriptions of harbours and coasts. They were first made in the 14th century in Italy, Portugal and Spain...
s, each measuring 31 × 19 cm, with each chart covering two folios:
- P. 1 – covers the east Mediterranean and Black Sea.
- P. 2 – covers the central Mediterranean
- P. 3 – covers the west Mediterranean and the north Atlantic coast up to the British isles.
- P. 4 – covers the south Atlantic islands and west African coast.
The third sheet (North Atlantic) includes the mythical islands of y.fortunate, y beate, y.368 and the montagna de sco brandan (St. Brendan's Island
St. Brendan's Island
Situated somewhere west of Northern Africa, St. Brendan’s Isle is a phantom island often regarded as myth, since, unless it is the so-called "Eighth Canary Island" known since time immemorial to the Spanish and Portuguese authorities as San Borondón, only a few have claimed to have seen it.In the...
).
The fourth sheet (South Atlantic) covers the west African coast down to inbugder (Cape Bojador
Cape Bojador
Cape Bojador or Cape Boujdour is a headland on the northern coast of Western Sahara, at 26° 07' 37"N, 14° 29' 57"W. , as well as the name of a nearby town with a population of 41,178.It is shown on nautical charts with the original Portuguese name "Cabo Bojador", but is sometimes...
) and several Atlantic islands, using the same labels found already in earlier charts (e.g. the 1351 Medici Atlas
Medici Atlas
The Medici Atlas, also known as the Medici-Laurentian Atlas is an anonymous 14th century set of maps, probably composed by an Genoese cartographer and explicitly dated 1351, although most historians believe it was composed, or at least retouched, later...
, the 1367 Pizzigani brothers chart, etc.). As laid out in the Corbitis atlas, the islands are:
- the Azores, laid out vertically from north to south, and named: y de corui marini (CorvoCorvo IslandCorvo Island , literally the Island of the Crow, is the smallest and the northernmost island of the Azores archipelago and the northernmost in Macaronesia, with a population of approximately 468 inhabitants constituting the smallest single municipality in Azores and in Portugal.-History:A small...
), liconigi (Flores), sco zorzi (São JorgeSão JorgeSão Jorge, Portuguese for Saint George, may refer to many saints that have used the name, but it also includes:-Brazil:*São Jorge, Goiás, is a village in the State of Goiás*São Jorge, Rio Grande do Sul, is a municipality in the State of Rio Grande do Sul...
), y la uentura (FaialFaialFaial is a Portuguese word derived from faya, referring to a species of plant/tree, Myrica faya.It may also refer to:=In the archipelago of the Azores*Faial Island, an island in the Central Group of islands...
), li colonbi (PicoPico IslandPico Island , is an island in the Central Group of the Portuguese Azores noted for its eponymous volcano, Ponta do Pico, which is the highest mountain in Portugal, the Azores, and the highest elevation of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge...
), y de brazil (TerceiraTerceira IslandReferred to as the “Ilha Lilás” , Terceira is an island in the Azores archipelago, in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the larger islands of the archipelago, with a population of 56,000 inhabitants in an area of approximately 396.75 km²...
), caprara (São MiguelSão Miguel IslandSão Miguel Island , nicknamed "The Green Island", is the largest and most populous island in the Portuguese Azores archipelago. The island covers and has around 140,000 inhabitants, 45,000 of these people located in the largest city in the archipelago: Ponta Delgada.-History:In 1427, São Miguel...
) and louo (Santa MariaSanta Maria IslandSanta Maria , Portuguese for Saint Mary, is an island located in the eastern group of the Azores archipelago and the southernmost island in the Azores...
).
- the MadeiraMadeiraMadeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
archipelago, with the names y de legname (MadeiraMadeiraMadeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
), porto santo (Porto Santo), desertas (Desertas) and further south, y. saluaze (Savage IslandsSavage IslandsThe Savage Islands, also referred to as the Salvage Islands or the Selvagens Islands, of Sé. They are designated a Nature Reserve, comprising two areas: one on Selvagem Grande Island and the second on Selvagem Pequena Island.-Geography:...
).
- the Canary islandsCanary IslandsThe Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
, only the central and easter clusters are depicted, and include y de rinferno (TenerifeTenerifeTenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands, it is also the most populated island of Spain, with a land area of 2,034.38 km² and 906,854 inhabitants, 43% of the total population of the Canary Islands. About five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, the...
), y de canaria (Gran CanariaGran CanariaGran Canaria is the second most populous island of the Canary Islands, with a population of 838,397 which constitutes approximately 40% of the population of the archipelago...
), y de uegi marini (LobosLobos IslandLobos Island is a small island of the Canary Islands located just 2 km north of the island of Fuerteventura. Politically it belongs to the municipality of La Oliva, on the island of Fuerteventura. It has an area of 4.6 km². It has been a nature reserve without permanent human population...
), forte uentura (FuerteventuraFuerteventuraFuerteventura , a Spanish island, is one of the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. It is situated at 28°20' north, 14°00' west. At 1,660 km² it is the second largest of the Canary Islands, after Tenerife...
), Grazioxa (GraciosaGraciosa, Canary IslandsThere is also a Graciosa in the Azores, see GraciosaGraciosa Island or commonly La Graciosa is a volcanic island in the Canary Islands of Spain, located 2 km north of the island of Lanzarote with the strait named Río. It was formed by the Canary hotspot...
) and y de lanzaroto maloxeli (LanzaroteLanzaroteLanzarote , a Spanish island, is the easternmost of the autonomous Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 125 km off the coast of Africa and 1,000 km from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering 845.9 km2, it stands as the fourth largest of the islands...
).
Sources
- "l'atlante Corbitis": note and exhibition at GeoWeb, Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana of Venice.
- Campbell, T. (2011) "Anonymous works and the question of their attribution to individual chartmakers or to their supposed workshops", (online, accessed July 14, 2011)