Mapping the Renaissance

Catalog description

This course examines the production of maps during the medieval and early modern periods. The expanding world required firsthand observation, oftentimes aided by tools, as well as effective means of transcribing and interpreting terrain. Key to map production, the use of optical devices and measuring instruments, i.e., the compass and rule, magnetic compasses, astrolabes, and sextants, shaped habits of visualization formed through the use of pen and ink. In turn, artistic representation provided an expressive pictorial idiom for synthesizing the quantitative assessment and visual apprehension of land and sea. Emphasis will be placed on recent literature applying the most current methodologies applied to the analysis of maps.