The “Rex Tholomeus” Portolan Chart

This extraordinary portolan chart of Europe is one of the finest obtainable cultural artifacts from the early Renaissance. It embodies the dawn of precise, modern cartography and Europeans’ nascent interest in lands far beyond their own borders. It is also the earliest extant chart by a cartographer other than Angelino Dulceti. 

Produced in the aftermath of the Black Death and about 130 years before Columbus first reached the New World, this chart extends from the scarcely known islands of the open Atlantic to the vast Eurasian steppes of the Golden Horde. In the west, it shows the convoluted borders of the Hundred Years’ War, the crescent flag over the last Muslim kingdom in Iberia, and the most complete mapping of the British Isles yet achieved. In the east, it records the surviving Crusader strongholds on the margins of the Levant, their Mamluk conquerors, and the final outposts of the Byzantine Empire. To the north, an unusually rich rendering of Norway includes depictions of gyrfalcons, prized by medieval nobility.

In the south, the inclusion of a full-length portrait of Ptolemy - predating the rediscovery and Latin translation of his Geographia by Jacopo Angeli in 1410 - significantly enhances understanding of early Renaissance perceptions of the second-century geographer. Titled “Rex” and shown crowned, he is depicted in a manner not uncommon in late medieval and early Renaissance imagery, reflecting a conflation with the Macedonian Ptolemies who ruled Egypt. This detail illuminates the developing humanist engagement with ancient geographical authority and an emerging recognition of Ptolemy’s importance to cartography.

“As an object, the Rex Tholomeus portolan chart operates not merely as a map but as a Renaissance artefact in the truest sense – bringing together scientific precision and technical artistry in a manner comparable to leading contemporary works. Its significance lies not only in what it records, but in how it embodies the Renaissance synthesis of knowledge and beautiful craftsmanship,” says Pom Harrington, owner of Peter Harrington, the rare book firm presenting this map at TEFAF Maastricht.

This chart was first discovered by Pietro Amat di San Filippo in 1888 in the library of Prince Corsini’s palace in Florence. He tentatively dated it from 1347 to 1354. Over the following decades, it was included in several published studies, each concluding that it was drawn in the 14th century. The final and most detailed, written by Arthur C. Hinks in 1929, remarked that this chart was the single most important omission from Kretschmer’s 1909 catalogue of early portolans. It subsequently passed into John Alfred Spranger’s private collection of Renaissance texts, where it remained for most of the 20th century. The chart reappeared twice, first at Christie’s in 1993 and again in 2022, erroneously dated as late as 1530.

Building on earlier scholarship, the chart’s geography and toponymy have been examined in detail, including the geopolitical implications of its numerous coloured pennants. The chart has been reviewed by leading specialists in portolan cartography and subjected to carbon-14 dating and multi-spectral imaging. These investigations confirm the conclusions of earlier scholars, indicating a date of production most plausibly in the mid-14th century.

As recorded in the MEDEA Chart Database, the principal census of early portolans, this chart is one of only four complete maps of Europe surviving from so early a date. It is predated solely by the three charts associated with Angelino Dulceti, now held at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the British Library, and the Corsini Collection.

The chart’s distinctive cartography and iconography open new avenues for the study of early modern mapmaking at the threshold of the Age of Navigation. It is the earliest complete portolan to have appeared on the antiquarian market in at least a century.

Peter Harrington is one of the most respected and dynamic names in the world of rare books, with permanent galleries in London and New York.

From its beginnings in London in 1969, the firm has built an international reputation for sourcing and selling the finest first editions, signed and inscribed books, rare manuscripts, fine bindings, and library sets. Over more than fifty years, Peter Harrington has handled thousands of significant works, from incunabula, early illuminated manuscripts, and Shakespeare folios to landmark works of science, literature, political thought, travel, philosophy, and the arts.

With a team of subject specialists and bibliographers, the firm brings exceptional depth of knowledge to every item it handles, and works closely with collectors, libraries, and institutions to build collections of lasting cultural and scholarly value.

Its galleries in Chelsea and Mayfair in London, as well as New York’s Upper East Side, offer a welcoming, elegant setting to explore rare books and works on paper.

The firm also exhibits at leading rare book and art fairs across the globe, from New York and Los Angeles to Hong Kong, Maastricht, Abu Dhabi, and Melbourne – reflecting its place at the heart of the international rare book community.

As a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association, Peter Harrington offers an unconditional guarantee on the authenticity and completeness of each item it sells, as described in the Editor’s Notes.