Forlani map of the Mediterranean

FORLANI, Paolo (fl. 1560-1571), compiled by Diogo Homem. >br> La carta del navigare...dell'Europa, et parte dell'Africa, et dell'Asia.
Engraved map. Venice: 1569.
21" x 31 7/8" sheet, 32 1/2" x 43 1/2" framed.

The first plane chart on a scale large enough to be usefull at sea and the The First Published Chart of the Mediterranean. Following in the footsteps of his great colleague Giacomo Gastaldi, Paolo Forlani was a Venetian engraver and publisher of many significant maps and charts in the period of the Renaissance. It was in Italy, and particularly in Venice, that the map trade, which was to influence profoundly the course of cartographic history, was most highly developed during the first half of the 16th century. Venice was the most active port in the world, and successful trading expeditions necessitated accurate maps. In the 15th century the city had already become a clearing-house for geographical information, and the development of cartography in the city was further impelled by the accomplishment of Venetian printers and engravers. Forlani was perhaps the most prolific producer of maps in the mid-16th century, and largely responsible for diffusing advanced geographical information to other parts of Europe. (Ashley Bayntun-Williams “‚ “The “‚“Lafreri School”‚“of Italian Mapmakers circa 1544 , 1602” online).