Planisphere of Pesaro

The planisphere of Pesaro , drawn about 1505, is probably the first chart carrying the legend “Nouveau World”, following recent discovered Portuguese and Spanish . It is with the Biblioteca E Musei Olivierani with Pesaro, in Italy.

Description

The planisphere measures 114 × 197 centimetres and is drawn on a tape of Parchemin of 122 × 206 cm. It neither is dated nor signed. Its style is similar to that of another planisphere, drawn by Vesconte Maggiolo of Genoa. The legends are in Latin, and especially in Portuguese.

The coasts of the South America are represented over a length definitely higher than the preceding charts. In particular, one finds the Río of Plata to the latitude of the south of the Africa, and the coast continues on ten additional degrees. If the chart were indeed drawn about 1505, that supports the thesis according to which Amerigo Vespucci explored in first the coast of South America up to 50 southern degrees, quite front Juan Díaz de Solís. The mention MUNDUS NOUUS is carried inside the grounds. This term was used for the first time in 1504, in a letter éponyme allotted to Vespucci, but which could be written by another. The Planisphère of Ruysch is the only other known chart of this period to use it.

The west coast of America is not represented, not more than the Chinese coast, which does not make it possible to determine if America is amalgamated with Asia, as it is the case on the planisphere of Ruysch or Contarini. The absence of edge in the east of the chart can be deliberated, or can be the consequence of the loss of part of this one.

The islands of the the Caribbean resemble those of the Carte of Juan of Cosa; one finds in particular the “hook” in the south-west of Cuba.

The North America is represented in three disjoined parts, which are probably the Greenland, Newfoundland and the Nouvelle Scotland.

History

The date of realization of the chart is not known with certainty. R.A. Skelton advances 1508-1510, Frederick Pohl estimates 1505-1508, Levillier is convinced that it is older than the Planisphère of Ruysch (1508), others on advanced dates between 1504 and 1508.

According to Edward L. Stevenson, this chart has as well similarities with the notes of Amerigo Vespucci as one can regard it as very near to the Padron than it had been charged to realize in 1508, lost today.

The planisphere was presented to the Biblioteca Olivierani by Marchese Ciro Antaldi Santinelli in 1904.

Sources

Frederick J. Pohl, The Pesaro Map, 1505 , Imago Mundi , volume 7,1950, pages 82-83 to read in line (JSTOR)
Edward L. Stevenson, The Geographical Activities off the Put of Contratacion , Annals off the Association off American Geographers , 17: June 2nd, th and th 1927, pages 39-59 to read in line (JSTOR)
Margaret S. Dilke and A. Brancati, The New World in the Pesaro Map , Mundi Imago, volume 31,1979, pages 78-83 to read in line (JSTOR)

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