Cuba, Jamaiqua

Antique woodcut map of Jamaica, Cuba, West Indies. Printed in Venice between 1528 and 1565.

Reference 12244

Description

Two rare maps of the islands Jamaica and Cuba in the West Indies by Benedetto Bordone on one sheet. Bordone's maps of Jamaica and Cuba are the first separate printed maps of these Caribbean islands.

Thomas Suarez notes about the map of Cuba:

Bordone follows closely the model for Cuba established by Waldseemuller on his large world map of 1507 and the Terre Nove from his atlas of 1513. There is a primitive representation of Batabano and Guacanayabo Gulfs. The fat western end of the island probably results from the fact Waldseemuller's model may have originated in a configuration which connected Cuba to the (Asian) mainland. For as crude as this delineation is, it is more remarkable at this early date that it is not altogether arbitrary.

From Libro di Benedetto Bordone... de tutte l'isole del mondo..., more commonly known as Isolario of Bordone, which first appeared in Venice in 1528. Three further editions followed in 1534, 1547 and 1565. The maps of all four editions were printed from the same woodblocks in Venice.

Details

Cartographer	Benedetto Bordone
Title	Cuba, Jamaiqua
Publisher, Year	Venice, 1528-1565
Plate Size	8.3 x 14.5 cm (3.3 x 5.7 inches)
Sheet Size	30.0 x 20.7 cm (11.8 x 8.1 inches)

Condition

Very good condition.

Cartographer

Benedetto Bordone was an Italian cartographer, chart- and mapmaker who worked in Venice during the beginning of the 16th century. He is best known for his Isolario, a geographical, historical and cultural description of the islands of the Mediterranean and the world, which first appeared in 1528. The genre Isolario was very popular in Italy at that time and was intended as an illustrated guide for sailors. Bordone also describes new discoveries in South and North America for the first time in an Isolario. The book contains a record of Pizarro's conquest of Peru, the earliest known printed report of the event. Of particular interest are 12 woodcut maps of America and the earliest map of Japan as an island printed in Europe.

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Benedetto Bordone: Cuba, Jamaiqua.

Antique woodcut map of Jamaica, Cuba, West Indies. Printed in Venice between 1528 and 1565.

Central America - Caribbean - Bordone, Benedetto - Cuba, Jamaiqua