181. Floriano, Antonio: (World Map)

Venice, c.1555.
An exceptionally rare and unusually executed two-sheet copper-engraved, Renaissance world map, by Antonio Floriano of Udine, drawn in polar projection, dividing the globe into thirty-six segments, each covering ten degrees of longitude. Cartographically, the map is based on Gerard Mercator’s double-cordiform world map of 1538, of which only two copies are known today. In the absence of an imprint, its publication date can only be inferred from records showing that Floriano petitioned the Doge of Venice for a privilege to publish a world map, granted in January 1555. In his request, he declared: “I, Florian, the loyal servant of Your Highness and of this Illustrious Republic, with my diligence and knowledge, have made a world map such as has never before been made, with the aid of which cosmography may easily be studied and learned, and the entire image of the world be seen, since it can be reduced to spherical form.”
Floriano divided the two hemispheres along the Equator into thirty-six slightly curved gores, similar to those used for assembling paper globes. This innovative “bicycle-spoke” construction is one of the earliest printed attempts to project a terrestrial globe onto a flat surface – scientifically bold, artistically refined, yet difficult to read. The map incorporates several features that were far ahead of their time. It is among the earliest printed works to show the Americas completely separated from Asia. Both poles are depicted as vast continental landmasses, centuries before the discovery of Antarctica. In South America, Floriano includes an early representation of the Amazon River, labelled R. d. los Esclavos (“River of Slaves”), and notes relating to native peoples: “Gigantum Regio” near the Strait of Magellan and “Antropophagi” in the northwest.
The map bears no title or imprint, and its empty cartouches suggest an unfinished proof; however, all known copies share the same state, implying that it was designed, as Floriano himself stated, for use as globe gores. The finely engraved Renaissance strapwork borders and portrait medallions – of Ptolemy and of Floriano – reveal the artist’s decorative ambition. The engraving is attributed to Paolo Cimerlino, whose monogram appears beside Floriano’s portrait. Though the printing privilege dates to 1555, the geographical content suggests a slightly earlier origin, perhaps between 1545 and 1550, drawing on both Mercator’s 1538 prototype and Antonio Salamanca’s 1550 copy. Issued as a separate sheet, Floriano’s world map ranks among the rarest works of Renaissance cartography. Only a handful of examples have appeared in recent decades, a few of which are bound in IATO atlases. As a rare masterpiece uniting scientific precision with the aesthetic ideals of the Venetian Renaissance, it remains one of the most captivating cartographic pieces and would be a prized highlight of any major collection.
Dimensions: 460 × 830 (490 × 845) mm. Fine, clear copy, preserved in outstanding condition. With existing export permission.
Shirley: 99.; Bifolco – Ronca: Tav.37.; Imago Mundi VI. (Rudolfo Gallo: Antonio Florian and his Mappemonde): p. 35–38.
 
Starting price: 20 000 000,-