Pietro Vesconte (fl. 1310–1330) was a Genoesecartographer and geographer. A pioneer of the field of the portolan chart, he influenced Italian and Catalan mapmaking throughout the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. He appears to have been the first professional mapmaker to sign and date his works regularly.[1]
Pietro Vesconte
Image of a cartographer, assumed to be Pietro Vesconte himself, from the 1318 Vesconte atlas (Museo Correr, Venice)
Although Vesconte was born in Genoa, he produced much of his work in Venice. He was active between 1310 and 1330,[1] producing numerous maps. His nautical charts are among the earliest to map the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions accurately. He also produced progressively more accurate depictions of the coastlines of northern Europe, in particular that of Britain and, to a lesser extent, Ireland.
Pietro Vesconte's 1311 portolan chart of the east Mediterranean is the oldest signed and dated nautical chart that survives from the medieval period.[2] He is also the author of at least four signed multi-sheet atlases (1313, 1318a, 1318b, c. 1321), where the various sheets can be combined into a single nautical chart. There is also an atlas (1321) and a solitary portolan chart (1327) signed by "Perrino Vesconte", assumed to be either Pietro himself or possibly a younger relative member of his family using a diminutive form of 'Pietro'.[1] The image of a mapmaker at work, which appears in a Vesconte atlas of 1318, may depict the chartmaker himself.[3]
Pietro Vesconte brought his experience as a maker of portolans to bear on the mappa mundi (circular world map) he produced, which introduced a previously unheard of accuracy to the genre.[1] He provided a world map, nautical atlas, a map of the Holy Land and plan of Acre and Jerusalem for inclusion in Marino Sanuto's Liber secretorum fidelium crucis, a work which aimed to encourage a new crusade.[3] There are three known copies of Sanuto's Liber (c. 1320–21, c. 1321, c. 1325) that include Vesconte's maps, only the first of which is signed; the latter two are confidently assumed to have been done by him, or at least under his direction.
Works by or attributed to Vesconteedit
The following works have been signed or attributed to Pietro Vesconte.[4]
1311 dated & signed portolan chart of the east Mediterranean, held (C.N.1) by the Archivio di Stato in Florence, Italy.
1313 dated & signed atlas of six sheets held (DD 687) by the Bibliotheque Nationale de France in Paris, France. (1. calendar, 2. Black Sea, 3. Aegean Sea, 4. east Mediterranean, 5. central Mediterranean, 6. west Mediterranean and British Isles)[5]
1318 dated & signed atlas of seven sheets held (Port. 28) by Museo Correr in Venice, Italy. (1 calendar, 2. Black Sea, 3. east Medit., 4. central Med., 5. west Med, 6. Spain and north Africa, 7. north Atlantic)
1318 dated & signed atlas of ten sheets held (MS 594) by Österreichische Nationalbibliothek in Vienna, Austria. (1.calendar, 2. Black Sea, 3. east Medit., 4. central Medit. (south), 6. central Medit. (north) 7. west Medit., 8. Spain and French Atlantic coast, 9. British Isles, 10. Adriatic Sea)
c.1320-21 undated but signed by Vesconte, for Marino Sanudo's Liber secretorum, mappa mundi plus atlas of five sheets (partially missing), held (Pal. Lat.1362A) by the Bibliotheca Apostolica in Vatican City (2. Black sea, 3. Aegean, 4. Palestine & east Medit. 5. Adriatic and North Africa, 6. west Medit and north Atlantic)
1321 dated and signed Perrino Vesconte, atlas of five sheets held (R.P.4) by the Zentralbibliothek in Zurich, Switzerland. (1 calendar, 2. Spain and north Atlantic, 3. central Medit., 4. east Medit. 5. Black Sea)[6]
c.1321 undated atlas of nine sheets held (MS 175) by the Bibliothèque municipale in Lyons, France. (1. calendar, 2. rhumb network, 3. Black Sea, 4. east Medit., 5. central Medit (north), 6. central Medit (north) 7. west Medit. 8. British Isles & France, 9. Adriatic Sea)
c.1321 undated and unsigned, confidently attributed to Vesconte, for Marino Sanudo's Liber secretorum, mappa mundi and atlas of five sheets held (Vat. Lat. 2972) by the Bibliotheca Apostolica in Vatican City (1. Black Sea, 2. Aegean and north Africa, 3. Palestine & east Medit. 4. central medit,5. west Medit and north Atlantic)[7]
c.1325 undated and unsigned, confidently attributed to Vesconte, for Marino Sanudo's Liber secretorum, mappa mundi and atlas of five sheets, held (Add MS 27376) by the British Library, in London, UK. (1. Spain and north Atlantic, 2. central Medit., 3. Palestine & east Medit., 4. Aegean & north Africa, 5. Black Sea)
^Allen, R. (2004). Eastward Bound: Travel and Travellers, 1050-1550. Manchester University Press. p. 137. ISBN9780719066917. Retrieved 2015-04-03.
^ abHarley, J.B.; Woodward, D. (1987). The History of Cartography: Cartography in prehistoric, ancient, and medieval Europe and the Mediterranean. Vol. 1. University of Chicago Press. pp. 2–432. ISBN9780226316338. Retrieved 2015-04-03.
^Information organized by Tony Campbell, "Census of pre-sixteenth-century portolan charts" at maphistory.info, last visited June 16, 2011
^Vesconte's 1313 Atlas can be found online at 1313 Vesconte Atlas at Gallica, BNF
^The signature reads Perinus Vessconte d’Janua fecit istam tabula Anno dni Mccc xxj in Venecia. A copy of the 1321 atlas can be found online at 1321 Perrino Vesconte atlas at Netzwerk von Bibliotheken und Informationsstellen in der Schweiz (NEBIS, Switzerland)
^A digital copy can be found online at the Digital Vatican Library
^The signature reads Perrinus Vessconte fecit istam cartam Anno dhi M ccc xxvii in Veneciis (Cortesão, 1969: p.38)
Cortesão, Armando (1969) History of Portuguese Cartography", Lisbon: Ultramar.
April 09, 2024
pietro, vesconte, 1310, 1330, genoese, cartographer, geographer, pioneer, field, portolan, chart, influenced, italian, catalan, mapmaking, throughout, fourteenth, fifteenth, centuries, appears, have, been, first, professional, mapmaker, sign, date, works, regu. Pietro Vesconte fl 1310 1330 was a Genoese cartographer and geographer A pioneer of the field of the portolan chart he influenced Italian and Catalan mapmaking throughout the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries He appears to have been the first professional mapmaker to sign and date his works regularly 1 Pietro VesconteImage of a cartographer assumed to be Pietro Vesconte himself from the 1318 Vesconte atlas Museo Correr Venice BornGenoa Republic of GenoaOccupationItalian cartographerAlthough Vesconte was born in Genoa he produced much of his work in Venice He was active between 1310 and 1330 1 producing numerous maps His nautical charts are among the earliest to map the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions accurately He also produced progressively more accurate depictions of the coastlines of northern Europe in particular that of Britain and to a lesser extent Ireland Pietro Vesconte s 1311 portolan chart of the east Mediterranean is the oldest signed and dated nautical chart that survives from the medieval period 2 He is also the author of at least four signed multi sheet atlases 1313 1318a 1318b c 1321 where the various sheets can be combined into a single nautical chart There is also an atlas 1321 and a solitary portolan chart 1327 signed by Perrino Vesconte assumed to be either Pietro himself or possibly a younger relative member of his family using a diminutive form of Pietro 1 The image of a mapmaker at work which appears in a Vesconte atlas of 1318 may depict the chartmaker himself 3 Pietro Vesconte brought his experience as a maker of portolans to bear on the mappa mundi circular world map he produced which introduced a previously unheard of accuracy to the genre 1 He provided a world map nautical atlas a map of the Holy Land and plan of Acre and Jerusalem for inclusion in Marino Sanuto s Liber secretorum fidelium crucis a work which aimed to encourage a new crusade 3 There are three known copies of Sanuto s Liber c 1320 21 c 1321 c 1325 that include Vesconte s maps only the first of which is signed the latter two are confidently assumed to have been done by him or at least under his direction Works by or attributed to Vesconte editThe following works have been signed or attributed to Pietro Vesconte 4 1311 dated amp signed portolan chart of the east Mediterranean held C N 1 by the Archivio di Stato in Florence Italy 1313 dated amp signed atlas of six sheets held DD 687 by the Bibliotheque Nationale de France in Paris France 1 calendar 2 Black Sea 3 Aegean Sea 4 east Mediterranean 5 central Mediterranean 6 west Mediterranean and British Isles 5 1318 dated amp signed atlas of seven sheets held Port 28 by Museo Correr in Venice Italy 1 calendar 2 Black Sea 3 east Medit 4 central Med 5 west Med 6 Spain and north Africa 7 north Atlantic 1318 dated amp signed atlas of ten sheets held MS 594 by Osterreichische Nationalbibliothek in Vienna Austria 1 calendar 2 Black Sea 3 east Medit 4 central Medit south 6 central Medit north 7 west Medit 8 Spain and French Atlantic coast 9 British Isles 10 Adriatic Sea c 1320 21 undated but signed by Vesconte for Marino Sanudo s Liber secretorum mappa mundi plus atlas of five sheets partially missing held Pal Lat 1362A by the Bibliotheca Apostolica in Vatican City 2 Black sea 3 Aegean 4 Palestine amp east Medit 5 Adriatic and North Africa 6 west Medit and north Atlantic 1321 dated and signed Perrino Vesconte atlas of five sheets held R P 4 by the Zentralbibliothek in Zurich Switzerland 1 calendar 2 Spain and north Atlantic 3 central Medit 4 east Medit 5 Black Sea 6 c 1321 undated atlas of nine sheets held MS 175 by the Bibliotheque municipale in Lyons France 1 calendar 2 rhumb network 3 Black Sea 4 east Medit 5 central Medit north 6 central Medit north 7 west Medit 8 British Isles amp France 9 Adriatic Sea c 1321 undated and unsigned confidently attributed to Vesconte for Marino Sanudo s Liber secretorum mappa mundi and atlas of five sheets held Vat Lat 2972 by the Bibliotheca Apostolica in Vatican City 1 Black Sea 2 Aegean and north Africa 3 Palestine amp east Medit 4 central medit 5 west Medit and north Atlantic 7 c 1325 undated and unsigned confidently attributed to Vesconte for Marino Sanudo s Liber secretorum mappa mundi and atlas of five sheets held Add MS 27376 by the British Library in London UK 1 Spain and north Atlantic 2 central Medit 3 Palestine amp east Medit 4 Aegean amp north Africa 5 Black Sea 1327 dated and signed Perrino Vesconte portolan chart held Med Palat 248 by the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana in Florence Italy 8 nbsp Pietro Vesconte s 1311 portolan of the eastern Mediterranean the first signed portolan chart Archivio di Stato Florence nbsp Astronomical calendar from the 1313 atlas of Pietro Vesconte Bibliotheque Nationale de France Paris nbsp Atlantic map sheet from the 1313 atlas of Pietro Vesconte Bibliotheque Nationale de France Paris nbsp Map of the Adriatic Sea sheet from the 1318 atlas of Pietro Vesconte Osterreichische Nationalbibliothek Vienna nbsp Atlantic map sheet from the 1321 atlas of Perrino Vesconte Zentralbibliothek Zurich nbsp west Mediterranean map sheet from Pietro Vesconte c 1321 atlas Bibliotheque municipale de Lyon nbsp north Atlantic France Britain Ireland map sheet from Pietro Vesconte c 1321 atlas Bibliotheque municipale de Lyon nbsp Atlantic map sheet from Vesconte s c 1321 atlas for Marino Sanuto s Liber Secretum Vatican Library nbsp Atlantic map sheet from Vesconte s c 1325 atlas for Marino Sanuto s Liber Secretum British Library nbsp Pietro Vesconte s Mappa Mundi from Marino Sanuto s Liber secretorum oriented with East at the top References edit a b c d Slide 228F Monograph henry davis com Retrieved 2015 04 03 Allen R 2004 Eastward Bound Travel and Travellers 1050 1550 Manchester University Press p 137 ISBN 9780719066917 Retrieved 2015 04 03 a b Harley J B Woodward D 1987 The History of Cartography Cartography in prehistoric ancient and medieval Europe and the Mediterranean Vol 1 University of Chicago Press pp 2 432 ISBN 9780226316338 Retrieved 2015 04 03 Information organized by Tony Campbell Census of pre sixteenth century portolan charts at maphistory info last visited June 16 2011 Vesconte s 1313 Atlas can be found online at 1313 Vesconte Atlas at Gallica BNF The signature reads Perinus Vessconte d Janua fecit istam tabula Anno dni Mccc xxj in Venecia A copy of the 1321 atlas can be found online at 1321 Perrino Vesconte atlas at Netzwerk von Bibliotheken und Informationsstellen in der Schweiz NEBIS Switzerland A digital copy can be found online at the Digital Vatican Library The signature reads Perrinus Vessconte fecit istam cartam Anno dhi M ccc xxvii in Veneciis Cortesao 1969 p 38 Cortesao Armando 1969 History of Portuguese Cartography Lisbon Ultramar Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Pietro Vesconte amp oldid 1053928033, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
