Il Mappamondo di Fra Mauro Camaldolese Descritto ed Illustrato Da D. Placido Zurla dello Stess’ Ordine

The first substantial study and printing of Fra Mauro’s famous medieval mappa mundi.

Fra Mauro’ map is considered the greatest memorial of medieval cartography, and was produced between 1457 and 1459. It is a circular planisphere drawn on parchment, oriented to the south, and mounted on a wooden stretcher frame around 2 m in diameter.  It includes Asia, the Indian Ocean, Africa, Europe, and the Atlantic. It took several years to complete. The map contains hundreds of detailed illustrations and more than 3000 descriptive texts. It was the most detailed and accurate representation of the world that had been produced up until that time. As such, the Fra Mauro map is considered one of the most important works in the history of cartography.

It marked “the beginning of the end of early medieval mappa mundi that reflected biblical geographical teaching” Bolton, J.

It placed accuracy ahead of religious or traditional beliefs, breaking with tradition, for example, by not placing Jerusalem at the center of the world and not showing a physical location for the biblical Paradise. The maker of the map, Fra Mauro, was a Camaldolese monk from the island of Murano near Venice. He was employed as an accountant and professional cartographer. The map was made for the rulers of Venice and Portugal. The map is usually on display in the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana in Venice in Italy.

Placido Zurla (1769-1834) served as librarian to the same Camaldolese order as Fra Mauro so he had privileged access to the original map itself.