Page 224 - Lanzarotto Malocello from Italy to the Canary Islands

224 from Italy to the Canary Islands

and the Atlantic islands. The coastal profile appears very accurate from
Cape Spartel to the river Nul”
The nautical chart that comes next is also of great interest, because it
belongs to one of the Pizigani brothers and mentions explicitly an African
coast facing the Canaries. Let us read the opening words:
18 FRANCESCO PIZIGANO
th
1367 (12 December) - Planisphere parchment comes in two rectangular
joined sheets measuring 1.34 x 0.90 m. It is written in Latin and Venetian
dialect, with semigothic characters. The drawing is red and blue in colour.
Includes: Planisphere - Europe - Western Coasts of Africa up to C.
Bojador Part of Asia - In the North the Atlantic Ocean - in the East the
Mediterranean - in the South the Atlantic Ocean (Cape Bojador) - in the
West the great Ocean.
There are two wind roses with 16 rhumbs. The date of the map reads as
follows: “M.CCC.LX.VII hoc opus comproxuid FRANCISCUS PIZIGANO
veneciar et domnus pizigano in Venezia meffecit marcus die XII decembris”.
One can see figures of animals, cities, Kings, banners, etc.
Bartolomeo Pareto’s map is the most complete and bears the word
“Lanzarotto” with the flag of Genoa on land. Its description is rather
curious:
47 - BARTOLOMEO PARETO
1435 - Planisphere parchment outlined by hand, measuring 1.48 x
0.70 m. The words are in Latin with Italian names, the twenty legends
that illustrate it are entirely in Latin. The colors used are red, green, blue,
silver, and gold. It is in poor condition, semigothic upper and lower case
characters with red and black ink.
Includes: the world known in his time. The limits are: in the North, Arcania
(Orkney Islands), Norvega, Livinia, Rossia - West, Insulse fortunate sancti
Brandanay, Antillia, Rollo - South, Africa, Reynum Nigrorum, Egiptum -
East Mare di Bacu (Caspio), Persia, Parthia, Mare Indicum, Arabia Felix.
West Africa goes as far as Cape Bujedor and Madeira retains the old name
of Insulla de legname. Among the islands Caprera and Collombi is placed
the famous insulla de Brasil, which for a while was the despair of the
illustrators of medieval Cartography.
This famous cartographic work by Pareto that was believed after the
death of Abbot Andrei (1830) to be hopelessly lost, was recognized by
Amat among some valuable goods consisting of MSS and books recovered
from a storage room of the Vittorio Emanuele National Library, formerly