The Portuguese Atlas of Valladolid (Sixteenth Century): a geometric Reassessment

Abstract

A study of two Portuguese nautical charts of the sixteenth century, here designated as the ‘Atlas of Valladolid’, has been carried out with the aim of determining their origin and date of compilation. These charts are little known among the international community and have never been subjected to a cartometric analysis. Based on stylistic considerations, on the comparison of the toponyms with other contemporary charts and on the analysis of the latitude errors, it is concluded that the two charts were likely to have been drawn by the Portuguese cartographer Gaspar Viegas before 1534.