Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-01-12
Map Made for Amerigo VeSpuCCi
Still in Existence.
Though Drawn Five Hundred Years
Ago 1t Is Excellent Production OF
Its kind-Owned by Roman
Citizen.

ROme.-Sig. Emilio Grossi Of Rome
has recently acquired a f1fteenth-cen-
fury nautical chart which belonged to
the great Florentine explorer, Ameri-
go Vespuccio, and which is considered
one of the most important and best
preserved marine maps Of the famous
school of chartography Of MajOrca.
This chart was accidentally discovered
in 1900 at Florence in the family ar
chiVes Of the counts Of MontignOso,
and no doubt exists as to its authen-
ITCHY. 1t bears an inscription in Span
ish meaning that Gabriel de Valsequa
made it in Majorca in the year 1889.
Very little is known about Gabriel
de Valsequa or Valseca except that he
was native of Majorca and that he
belonged to the school of chartogra-
ply founded there by the celebrated
Raimondo Lullo toward the beginning
of the fifteenth century and which con-
tinued to flourish until the sixteenth.
There are many marine maps in ex-
istence made by Valseca's contempora-
ries and cOuntrymen, Jaime Ribes,
Matias de Villadestes and Mateo
Prunes, but only three drawn by Val
SEGA. The first is dated 1447 and it
belonged to the Venetian nobleman D.
N. Barozzi; the second, bearing the
same date, was made to order for the
celebrated Catalan navigator, LAURA,
as it has his coat of arms prominent
Iy displayed; the third is so badly dam
aged that it cannot be identified.
Evidently Gabriel de Valseca was
we'll known, as his charts fetched good
prices. In fact, Amerigo Vespucci
paid him $50 ducats of gold for this
chart, a sum which corresponds to
about $3.50 The Fiorentine explorer
wrote down in his handwriting on the
chart the amount of money he paid
for it and his autograph. Besides
proving the ownership of the chart it
shows it's great value even 500 years
ago.
The chart consists of rectangular
sheet of parchment about forty-three
inches long and twenty-foUr wide and
it is admirably preserved. The left
an ink stain which is reported to have
been made by George Sand, who ex-
amined the map at Florence in 1886
and accidentally spilled ink over it.
Fortunately the stain has not oblit-
Grated any writing on the parchment.
1t is evident that the chart was
drawn purpOsely to serve for naviga-
ton. In fact all the ports and seaside
cities and towns are carefully noted
down and the coast line is designed
with great eXactness, while the inland
cities are neglected and only the
most important are given. The Medit-
erranean and the Atlantic ocean are
left in the natural color of the parch-
ment, while the Red sea is painted
red and the Baltic. the Arabian sea
and the Persian gulf are distinguished
by unduIating blue lines
The Mediterranean and Black sea
coasts are designed with great exact
ness and are crowded with the names
of cities, towns and ports, the first
written in red, the last two in black
The Atlantic coasts Of Spain and
France, as well as the southern coast
of England, are very carefully given
and they contrast with the imperfect
indications of inland regions. The
chart is incIosed on three sides
north, west and south-by a border
which resembles a cornice.
To the east of the North sea chain
of mountains is represented and, de-
spite It's mistaken direction, 1t is evil
dent that 1t is intended for the Ural
mountains There are seven cities
marked on the coasts Of the Gulf of
Persia, and three on the southern
coast of Arabia; Alden is marked at
the entrance of the Red sea and six
other cities on its coasts. In the in