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Era: Ancient & Medieval·Cartographer: Abraham Cresques & Jehuda Cresques·Year: 1375·Public Domain
The Catalan Atlas (1375)
"The pinnacle of medieval portolan art depicting Mansa Musa, the Silk Road, and compass roses"
Commissioned by King Charles V of France from Majorcan Jewish cartographer Abraham Cresques, this masterpiece synthesized accurate Mediterranean coastal navigation with Marco Polo's travels across Asia and the West African gold trade.
Interactive Specimen Pan & ZoomAccession: Espagnol 30
Orientation: North-Up (with South-Up panels)
3,000 × 650 mm (6 double-leaf vellum panels)
Abraham Cresques & Jehuda Cresques·1375·Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF), Paris
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Notable Cartographic Signatures
- Famous depiction of Emperor Mansa Musa of Mali holding a golden nugget
- First known use of a 32-point nautical compass rose on a map
- Caravans of merchants traveling the Silk Road toward Cathay (China)
The Rhetorical & Ideological Argument
"A commercial celebration of global trade routes and sovereign wealth: depicting West Africa not as a barbarian void, but as an empire ruled by the wealthiest monarch on Earth."
Explicit Features
- Famous depiction of Emperor Mansa Musa of Mali holding a golden nugget
- First known use of a 32-point nautical compass rose on a map
- Caravans of merchants traveling the Silk Road toward Cathay (China)
Intentional Omissions
- Interior African topography beyond the trans-Saharan camel trade routes
Physical Specimen & Geodesy
Projection:
Portolan Rhumb-Line Network
Orientation Axis:
North-Up (with South-Up panels)
Physical Medium:
Illuminated vellum mounted on wooden leaves with gold and silver leaf
Original Physical Dimensions:
3,000 × 650 mm (6 double-leaf vellum panels)
Custodial Repository:
Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF), Paris
Accession: Espagnol 30
Interdisciplinary Context & Connections
ChromologiumDISPLAYS
Majorcan Gold & Vermilion Pigment Gradients
VeridianumREPRESENTS
Medieval Global Commodity Trade Flows
Academic Provenance: Cresques, A. (1375)