Benedetto Bordone, a Paduan-born miniaturist and illustrator active

Acquired From: Leen Helmink

Colouring: Uncoloured

Condition: Excellent

Confirmed: Yes

Date Acquired: 27/3/2019

Description: Benedetto Bordone, a Paduan-born miniaturist and illustrator active in Venice, is best known for his Isolario (Book of Islands), a landmark compendium first published in 1528. Drawing on classical geographies, medieval travel narratives, and early exploration accounts, Bordones Isolario catalogues 111 islands and peninsulas across the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Indian Oceans. His maps, while schematic rather than navigational, reflect a transitional cartographic visioncombining compact, stylised layouts with speculative elements characteristic of the early modern imagination.nThis map depicts Iava minore (commonly identified as Sumatra) alongside five smaller islands: Necumera, Mangama, Locaz, Patera, and Botegon. The orientation is rotated, with north positioned at right (marked by an arrow) and east at top (indicated by a cross). Locaz refers to Lochac, a kingdom described by Marco Polo and associated with the Southeast Asian mainland. One of five Southeast Asian maps in the Isolario, it reflects early European attempts to reconcile classical lore with emerging maritime knowledge.nFor related maps, see #13 (fourth and fifth Southeast Asian maps) and #7 (world map).

First published: Isolario, nel qual si ragiona di tutte lisole del mondo… Venice: Nicolò d'Aristotile detto Zoppino, 1528

Image Size (cm): 24.5 x 15

Mapmaker: Bordone, Benedetto (1460-1531)

Other states: 1534, 1547 and 1565.

Price: 450

Primary Category: Southeast Asia

Purchase Reference: Ledger 2022

Rarity: R1 Extremely rare – occasionally seen on the market

References: Skelton, Benedetto BordonenSuárez, Early Mapping of Southeast Asia 120, fig 67.nKarrow (1993), Bendetto Bordone'

Sheet size (cm): 30 x 20.5

Technique: Woodcut

This state: 1528