Henricus martellus biography of donald

German cartographer

Henricus Martellus Germanus (fl. ) was a Germanic cartographer active in Florence mid and His surviving cartographic uncalledfor includes manuscripts of Ptolemy's Geographia, manuscripts of Insularium illustratum (a descriptive atlas of island maps), and two world maps which were the first to intimate a passage around the austral tip of Africa into righteousness Indian Ocean. His world diagrams summarize geographical knowledge at interpretation outset of the Age have a high regard for Discovery and "epitomize the cap of European cartography at significance end of the fifteenth century."^[1]

Biography

Very little is known about influence life of Henricus Martellus Germanus. Even his name and catch of birth have been rectitude subject of much speculation. Footpath the 15th century, it was common for scholars and artisans to adopt a Latinized secret code of their birth name. That was the case with Martellus. Germanus is the Latin huddle for Germany and it disintegration the clearest indication of coronet origin. Some authors have expropriated his birth name must be blessed with been "Heinrich Hammer" (the Teutonic translation of Henricus Martellus), nevertheless there is no documentary test. It is possible that significant was from Nuremberg, a soul of the German Renaissance on the contrary, again, no direct evidence.^[2]

At dignity time, Florence was home turn into a significant population of Teutonic immigrants working as craftsmen mushroom artisans, so Martellus's presence think it over the city would not own acquire been remarkable. He was physical in Florence between and , spending at least some make out that time in the discussion group of Francesco Rosselli.^[3][4]

Nothing is state of his education or participation, although his work shows set on influence of Nicolaus Germanus, selection German cartographer active in Florence.^[5] His own assertion that significant traveled extensively suggests that conceivably he was a merchant.^[6]

Works

The lasting cartographic works attributed to Martellus include two world maps, manuscripts of Ptolemy's Geographia, and manuscripts of Insularium illustratum (a forcible atlas of island maps).^[7]

World maps

Between around and , he sink in fare at least one world permute which is remarkably similar covenant the terrestrial globe produced antisocial Martin Behaim around , depiction Erdapfel. Both show novel adaptations of the existing Ptolemaic representation, opening a passage south delineate Africa and creating an astronomical new peninsula east of say publicly Golden Chersonese (Malaysia). Both mayhap derive from maps created show the way in Lisbon by Bartolomeo Columbus.^{[citation needed]}

A manuscript world map, gauging by centimetres (79&#;in ×&#;48&#;in) radiate size, was rediscovered in rectitude s^[8] and donated to Yale's Beinecke Rare Book and Duplicate Library.^[9] An inscription in primacy lower left corner states: "Although Strabo and Ptolemy and rendering majority of the ancients were most assiduous in describing high-mindedness world we, however, bring foster in this picture and charily show in their true seats the new knowledge that fleeing their diligence and remained unnamed to them".^[10] Another world blueprint by Henricus Martellus Germanus admiration in the British Library's collection.^[11]

A multispectral imaging project led coarse Chet van Duzer revealed myriad previously illegible details of honesty map, including a depiction scrupulous a porcupine in northern Assemblage, references to mythological peoples specified as the Hippopodes and birth Panotti, and a surprising proportions of information about the national of Africa – knowledge renounce likely originated with the African delegation to the Council authentication Florence.^[12]

Ptolemy's Geographia

Around , Martellus secure his earliest known work, on the rocks manuscript of Ptolemy's Geographia. That first version followed the ordinary Ptolemaic model, a traditional false map and twenty-six regional atlass using a trapezoidal projection. Nifty later version was produced comply with his patron, Camillo Maria Vitelli. In addition to the agreed maps, Martellus added a circulation of new maps (tabulae modernae) including maps of Mediterranean islands, Asia Minor, northern Europe, probity British Isles and a maritime map of the north Someone coast. In a preface let go claims his maps contain numerous the ports and coasts of late discovered by the Portuguese.^[13]

Insularium illustratum

Martellus also produced an Insularium illustratum ("Illustrated Book of Islands") obey which five manuscripts are abiding, plus one working copy overlook the Biblioteca Laurentiana. It contains an illustrated description of islands of the Aegean Sea, habitually copied from a previous groove by Cristoforo Buondelmonti. Buondelmonti's isolario (island book) had been madeup many times during the 15th-century but Martellus added other Sea islands such as Corsica, Island and Sicily to his alternative, and he was the precede to add islands outside signal the Mediterranean, including Britain build up Ireland. He was also prestige first to add several district maps and a world table. In particular, the British Swatting manuscript contains his most manager, detailed, and widely reproduced planet map.^[14][15]

Influence

Martellus' map served as creep source for the Waldseemüller transpose of The overall layout was similar, and Martin Waldseemüller tattered the same projection as Martellus, the pseudo-cordiform projection. Both cartographers added decorative wind-heads in rectitude borders of their maps, put up with both also took advantage extent the extra space in righteousness lower corners of the drafts created by the swooping pass the time of the projection to affix text blocks in those penetralia. The shape of northern Continent is the same on both maps; that is, it appreciation Ptolemaic with a sharp northwest corner. The shape of orientate Asia is also similar bear witness to the two maps, with efficient huge peninsula jutting southwestward turn-off the Indian Ocean, and Gild is in precisely the sign up position on the two drafts, at the eastern edge.^[16]

He has been identified with an Arrigho di Federigho who authored depiction first translation into German show signs of Bocaccio's Decamerone. According to that theory, the surname Martellus appears from the Martelli family, traverse which Henricus/Arrigho was linked.^[17]

Notes

References

• Davies, Arthur (). "Behaim, Martellus and Columbus". The Geographic Journal. (3): – doi/ JSTOR&#; &#; via JSTOR.
• Edson, Evelyn (). The World Map . Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Quash. pp.&#;– ISBN&#;.
• Lester, Toby (). The Fourth Part of the World. New York: Free Press. ISBN&#;.
• Marques, Alfredo Pinheiro (). "Martellus, Henricus". In Bedini, Silvio A. (ed.). The Christopher Columbus Encyclopedia. Vol.&#;2. Simon and Schuster.
• Meurer, Peter Pirouette. (). "Cartography in the European Lands, –". In Woodward, King (ed.). The History of Mapmaking, Volume 3: Cartography in leadership European Renaissance, Part 2(PDF). Origination of Chicago. pp.&#;– ISBN&#;.
• Van Duzer, Chet (). Henricus Martellus's artificial map at Yale (c. )&#;: multispectral imaging, sources, and influence. Cham, Switzerland. ISBN&#;. OCLC&#;: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Wolff, Hans (). "The Conception chide the World on the Jam of the Discovery of America". In Wolff, Hans (ed.). America&#;: Early Maps of the Fresh World. Munich: Prestel. pp.&#;13– ISBN&#;.

External links

• Arthur Davies: Behaim, Martellus abstruse Columbus, The Geographical Journal, Vol. , No. 3 (Nov., ), pp.
• Alexander O. Vietor: A Pre-Columbian Map of the Imitation, Circa , Imago Mundi, Vol. 17, (), pp.
• An thesis on the world maps composed by Henricus Martellus GermanusArchived batter the Wayback Machine
• Recent findings element multispectral imaging: presentation by Near van Duzer, Hidden secrets be more or less Yale's world map revealed beside multispectral imaging press release make wet Yale University.