by Stephanie Luke
“Here there be monsters”: The Art of the Mapmaker during the Age of Exploration
The purpose of The Compass Rose is to raise awareness of Special Collections' resources and to foster the use of these resources. The blog series also reports significant new programs, initiatives, and acquisitions of Special Collections.
Special Collections and Archives at the University of Texas at Arlington Libraries has a large collection of cartographic materials. Our collection varies greatly in time period and geographical representation, but we are especially strong in materials relating to Texas, Mexico, and Southwest history as well as African history.
Today we think of maps primarily as tools that help us navigate. Early maps, however, were not only representations of geographic areas but also works of art. In this post we highlight some of the more interesting and engaging details from maps in our collections.
Cartouches
Cartouches are decorative devices on maps and globes. They often frame titles, scale bars, or legends. Cartouches first appear in the 16th century and are commonly found on maps through the 19th century. The style and detail of a cartouche varies depending upon the mapmaker and the era of the work. Below are some of the more interesting and colorful cartouches in our collections.
From Guillaume de L’Isle’s Mappe-monde (1700).
From Johannes van Keulen’s Pas Kaart van de Golff van Mexcio (ca. 1682-1697).
From Abraham Ortelius’s Hispaniae Novae Sivae Magnae (1579).
From Frederick de Wit’s Novissima et Accuratisima Septentrionalis ac Meridionalis Americae (1680).
From Jodocus Hondius’s America Septentrionalis (1636).
From Jacques Peeters’ Africae (1692).
Ships
Vignettes of ships are common features on maps produced during the Age of Discovery. The vignettes varied depending on such things as the mapmaker and the location represented. Sometimes the ships are engaged in battle or surrounded by sea monsters, both of which reflect the dangers of sea travel at this time.
From Sebastian Münster’s Tabula Novarum Insularum, quas Diversisi Respectibus Occidentales & Indians Vocant (1540).
From Abraham Ortelius’s Africae Tabvla Nova (1667).
From Nicolaes Visscher’s Americae Nova Descriptio (ca. 1650).
From Abraham Ortelius’s Americae Sive Novi Orbis (ca. 1570).
From Nicolaes Visscher’s Americae Nova Descriptio (ca. 1650).
From Jodocus Hondius’s Iaponia (ca. 1609-1636).
Native Flora and Fauna
Many maps bear depictions of the native plants and wildlife of the locations featured. Most individuals who viewed these maps would never travel to the places depicted. By including illustrations of native flora and fauna, mapmakers satisfied the curiosity of these viewers and highlighted the “exotic” nature of these far-off places. Map illustrators often rendered their depictions based upon second or third-hand descriptions of these animals. Thus, animals sometimes appear anatomically incorrect. For example, the depiction of a sea lion in Hendrik Hondius’s Polus Antarcticus appears as an African lion frolicking on the banks of the ocean. Furthermore, some of the most humorous of these representations show humans interacting with native animals in unbelievable ways, such as figures sitting or riding upon these animals.
From Johann Baptist Homann’s Amplissimae Regionis Mississipi (ca. 1720). This illustration features a bison, a bird, and two native figures.
From Johann George Schreiber’s Africa (ca. 1730). This cartouche is flanked by two men, a lion, and an elephant, in front of which are tusks.
From Hendrik Hondius’s Polus Antarcticus (1688). The illustration features a penguin, a “sea lion,” and another large bird.
From Frederick de Wit’s Nova Totius Americae Descriptio (ca. 1660). A woman rides a large armadillo.
From R. Reynolds’s An Accurate Map of Africa (1768). This cartouche features a woman sitting on a crocodile.
From de Frederick Wit’s Nova Africa Descriptio (ca. 1660). A woman rides a crocodile.
Sea Monsters
Sea monsters frequently appear on maps. These illustrations are sometimes recognizable as actual creatures but more often are purely fantastical. The presence of sea monsters on the edges of cartographic works signaled the unknown nature of the ocean and the danger of travel and discovery.
From Abraham Ortelius’s Africae Tabvla Nova (1667). A narwhal-like figure appears off the coast of Madagascar.
From Nicolaes Visscher’s Americae Nova Descriptio (ca. 1650). A flying fish and sea monster appear in the Pacific Ocean.
From Jodocus Hondius’s Iaponia (ca. 1609-1636). A sea monster off the coast of Japan.
From Heinrich Scherer’s Mappa Geographica Exhibens Religionem Catholicam Alicubi Per Africam Sparsam (ca. 1710s). A large sailing ship is surrounded by five sea monsters.
From Willem Blaeu’s Americae Nova Tabula (1635). A sea monster in the midst of three ships.
From Nicolaes Visscher’s Americae Nova Descriptio (ca. 1650). A sea monster with a primate-like face.
Mermaids and Legendary Creatures
In addition to sea monsters, mapmakers often included other mythical and legendary creatures in their works. Mermaids and other kinds of sea people are common features, as are sea cherubs, who oftentimes bear fish tails or wings. Kelpies, sea equines (not to be confused with seahorses), and ichthyocentaurs (sea centaurs) also commonly appear, as do mythical figures like Poseidon and his wife Amphitrite.
From Frederick de Wit’s Nova Totius Americae Descriptio (ca. 1660). This vignette features a man and a woman riding kelpies. They are surrounded by what appears to be mermaids.
From Willem Blaeu’s Gvinea (ca.1640). This detail depicts two sea cherubs with wings like those of a flying fish.
From Frederick de Wit’s Nova Africa Descriptio (ca. 1660). The cartouche bears the publication information of the map and it features Poseidon riding a kelpie. He is surrounded by cupid-like mermaids, at least one of which is winged.
Mythical Animals
Mythical land animals also frequently appear on cartographic works. Figures such as unicorns, dragons, griffins, and phoenixes are shown in cartouches or are present on landmasses. The frequent appearance of these animals highlights how little contemporary Europeans in particular knew about far off places.
From Pieter Vander Aa’s Opper-Ethiopien of ‘Tryk der Abyssinen (1706). This scene shows two missionaries meeting the king of Abyssinia. In the background is a unicorn and a pelican.
From Matthäeus Setteur’s Africa Juxta Navigationes et Observat Recentillimas (1744). A dragon is perched on the map’s cartouche.
From Daniel de La Feuille’s Kaarte van de Golf van Mexico en het Zuyd America (1747). A unicorn kills a ram and attempts to pierce a bird of prey with its horn.
Tragic Scenes
Before the modern age, travel was often fraught with danger. While not as common a feature as sea monsters or legendary creatures, the sometimes-tragic results of these journeys appear on cartographic works. The image on the left, a detail from Sebastian Münster’s Africae Tabula II, shows a shipwreck off the coast of Africa. The image on the right, a detail from Münster’s Africae Tabula III, shows a man in the jaws of a sea monster off the northern coast of Africa. This may be a representation of the biblical story of Jonah.
From Sebastian Münster’s Africae Tabula II (ca. 1540). Illustration of a shipwreck.
From Sebastian Münster’s Africae Tabula III (ca. mid-1500s). A figure of a man in the jaws of a sea monster.
For More Information
To learn more about our collection of cartographic materials, please visit our Special Collections page. We also have a number of digital images of items in our collections on Cartographic Connections, the UTA Digital Gallery, and The Portal to Texas History.
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