Measuring the World against a 16th-century Portolan Luxury Atlas

Virtual Collection Presentation: 2022 Multidisciplinary Graduate Conference in Premodern Studies at the Newberry Library
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Maggie Heeschen, a graduate student at the University of Minnesota, introduces the Newberry Library's Ayer MS map 10, a portolan atlas created by Battista Agnese in the mid-16th century, which features a working magnetic compass inset in the binding. Heeschen examines the material features of this luxury atlas, explains what is useful (or not) about its construction, and compares its accuracy again present-day mapmaking.