Reino de Portugal [ Material cartográfico]
Date
Credits
- João Teixeira Albernaz I Cartographer
Format
- Map 63
Type of Work
- Finished work 5482
Locations Made
This east-oriented map of Portugal, made by João Teixeira Albernaz I, places a large emphasis on hydrographical elements (bodies of water, rivers, waterways, and surrounding land), depicting many branching rivers flowing to the coast. There are more varied illustrations of other geographical elements in the upper portions of the map, closer to the territory of Spain, such as trees, mountains, cities, and towns.
Throughout the map, written very small, are the names of possibly every body of water pictured, which is something that would have required extensive research and knowledge of the land. Beyond this extreme task of precision, much care was also taken in the drawing and coloring of the decorative and illustrative elements around the border of the map as well as in the oceans.
Albernaz came from a family of cartographers, and was the “appointed cartographer of the Casa da Mina e Índia” in the early 1600s. He made many other maps and atlases, a large amount of these of the territory of Brazil (Navegações Portuguesas, Instituto Camões).
