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PORTOLAN CHART Portolan chart of the Mediterranean, centred on Sicily, extending from Holy Land to Northern Africa, the length of the Mediterranean to South West England and Wales, MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM, captioned beneath roundel "[Placidus Cal]oiro et Oliva Fecit in Nobili urbe Messanae ano 1637" image 1
PORTOLAN CHART Portolan chart of the Mediterranean, centred on Sicily, extending from Holy Land to Northern Africa, the length of the Mediterranean to South West England and Wales, MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM, captioned beneath roundel "[Placidus Cal]oiro et Oliva Fecit in Nobili urbe Messanae ano 1637" image 2
PORTOLAN CHART Portolan chart of the Mediterranean, centred on Sicily, extending from Holy Land to Northern Africa, the length of the Mediterranean to South West England and Wales, MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM, captioned beneath roundel "[Placidus Cal]oiro et Oliva Fecit in Nobili urbe Messanae ano 1637" image 3
PORTOLAN CHART Portolan chart of the Mediterranean, centred on Sicily, extending from Holy Land to Northern Africa, the length of the Mediterranean to South West England and Wales, MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM, captioned beneath roundel "[Placidus Cal]oiro et Oliva Fecit in Nobili urbe Messanae ano 1637" image 4
PORTOLAN CHART Portolan chart of the Mediterranean, centred on Sicily, extending from Holy Land to Northern Africa, the length of the Mediterranean to South West England and Wales, MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM, captioned beneath roundel "[Placidus Cal]oiro et Oliva Fecit in Nobili urbe Messanae ano 1637" image 5
Lot 168

PORTOLAN CHART
Portolan chart of the Mediterranean, centred on Sicily, extending from Holy Land to Northern Africa, the length of the Mediterranean to South West England and Wales, MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM, captioned beneath roundel "[Placidus Cal]oiro et Oliva Fecit in Nobili urbe Messanae ano 1637"

14 June 2017, 13:00 BST
London, Knightsbridge

Sold for £68,750 inc. premium

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PORTOLAN CHART

Portolan chart of the Mediterranean, centred on Sicily, extending from Holy Land to Northern Africa, the length of the Mediterranean to South West England and Wales, MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM, single sheet, in red, green, blue and sepia inks, at head a roundel portrait of the Virgin and Child within a decorative border (90 x 90mm.) above 2 cherub winds and ink note of authorship [see below], coastlines in sepia, rivers in green, very numerous coastal place-names in red and sepia in semi-italic lettering, 24 city vignettes (castellated buildings surmounted by flags, some crescent), African coast embellished with 5 palm trees, a lion and a leaping unicorn, a camel with rider situated between the Red Sea (in red ink) and Jerusalem (represented by 3 hills mounted with crosses), 2 large decorative compass roses (125 x 125mm.), 7 smaller roses, one large cartouche with scale, the whole divided by red and green rhumblines extending from the compass roses, one long meandering horizontal tear (with minimal loss), unevenly cut at edges with some loss, laid on pasteboard, approximate size 1025 x 515mm. (but shaped to rounded pinnacle at top with some loss to sides), captioned beneath roundel "[Placidus Cal]oiro et Oliva Fecit in Nobili urbe Messanae ano 1637"

Footnotes

A NEWLY DISCOVERED AND FINELY DECORATED PORTOLAN CHART OF THE MEDITERRANEAN. It was made by Placidus Caloiro et Oliva, a member of the distinguished family of Catalan chartmakers. At least 16 members of the Oliva family are recorded as making Portolan charts between 1538 and 1673. The present chart was produced at Messina, and is centred on Sicily, showing most of the islands of the Mediterranean, the African, European and Arabian coastlines, elaborately ornamented with compass roses, animals, town vignettes, and a roundel of the Virgin and Child.

Provenance: Property of an English West Country Estate.

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