Exploration: The Globe and Beyond

Chet Van Duzer discusses a spectacular Italian world map made in 1587 by the Milanese noble Urbano Monte. The map consists of 60 sheets designed to be assembled into an image of the world 10.5 feet in diameter, on an unusual north polar projection, and intended to be mounted so that it could be rotated about its center, in such a way that details far from the viewer could be brought closer. The map features a large and distinctive hypothetical southern continent, a depiction of Japan based on recent information, and a rich program of decoration, including images of sovereigns, sea monsters, and animals. This lecture presents Monte's works and offers new research regarding how he went about making his 1587 map: the events and works that inspired him, the sources – both textual and iconographic – from which he borrowed, and his own statements about the map.