Portolan Map Possibilities

[Linda]

   



Above the vms page example is a screenshot of a Jason Davies page You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. The idea came as an extension of my idea that the pointing finger looking like Azov and that nymph being at the top meant to turn the map so Azov points up. I may not have rotated all the way now that i can see it, but it is close enough to show the idea.

You can see this in any map of Europe. Rotate so that the Italian peninsula and the Red Sea (if shown) are horizontal. This gives you a basically east up orientation, which most mappa mundi had before this time.

I am posting it to show better how the directions work out, because they work out extremely well. It is a map of Europe with the sea of Azov pointing up, and Sagres Point pointing down, to match up with the orientation of the nymphs i have identified. I was kind of amazed how it creates a cross with the Alps as the center, which matches up perfectly with my interpretation of the Rosette with the TO map attached. Also glaringly apparent is that England et al do not seem to be included, i think it is mainland only, given the fleur de lys, which would represent Burgundy and France. But its absence could mean that it is the intended audience, or the origin.

Then i realized, many of the orientations in quire 13 are portrayed in this manner. So this is to investigate this thought. 

So let's start with f76r. This page benefits from this view in terms of orientation matching. Sagres Point. It is now oriented correctly if you are looking at the westernmost tip from an east up perspective. The nymph is east up (0). The point at the top can be thought of as receding into the distance, or flipped to become the far out view (180) while the current orientation fits the zoom view.
Gibraltar peninsula also matches by angle 0. Morrocan peninsula is 90.

Spanish and French coast of You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. are at a 90 degree angle in comparison. Lake Garda however is now seen to be straight up from Genoa, although in the vms it looks like straight down, so 180 degrees. The lake itself is turned 90.

F80v Alps 90, Lake Constance 90. 

F84r the two seas are 0 the lake is 90.

F84v the page is oriented north up so 90 in comparison with this orientation.

So far it seems like nothing is askew or random, just rotated 90 or 180. This makes me feel like this is an important idea.