The European Continent, 1553 - Battista Agnese

This map of the European continent belongs to a manuscript nautical atlas by Battista Agnese, a Genoese cartographer active in Venice in the mid-16th century. Dated September 1, 1553, and drawn in ink on parchment, it reflects the tradition of Mediterranean portolan charts, with a dense network of rhumb lines and meticulously outlined coastlines for navigation. The interior of the territories, however, is symbolically decorated, with seated figures personifying kingdoms and regions, and with few terrestrial place names, a sign of the centrality of maritime routes for the Venetian elite. The work thus combines practical precision with a luxury function, intended for collectors and princes rather than for ship's pilots.

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