157. Forlani, Paolo: La Descrittione di Tutto il Peru

Venice, 1562.
Scarce copperplate map of South America by Pa­olo Forlani, which is the first large-scale printed depiction of the region and the only sheet of the area produced in a workshop belonging to the Lafreri School. The basis of Forlani’s work was Giacomo Gastaldi’s world map (1561). In the north, the map field includes the southern part of Central America, the Caribbean islands and extends to Florida. In the south, it reaches beyond the Strait of Magellan to Tierra del Fuego, which, according to the assumptions of the time, appears as the coastline of an unknown continent. In contrast to his previous world maps, the cartographer shows the direction of the Amazon as west to the east. With the accuracy of the representation and the detail of the topography and nomenclature, he surpassed his competitors. Nevertheless, many cartographic errors can be discovered: the excessively wide delta of La Plata, dotted with islands, the incorrect location of Lake Titicaca („Lago Titicacha”), Cartagena and Quito reflect the incomplete geographical knowledge of the era. The cartouche placed in the upper right contains the dedication to Giovanni Pietro Contarini. Below, the title refers to the entire continent as Peru.
Dimensions: 515 x 370 (645 x 480) mm.
Fine, clear copy. With existing export licence.
Bifolco – Ronca: Tav. 57.; Imago Mundi III (Tooley – Maps in Italian Atlases): 93.
 
Starting price: 6,500,000 HUF