Domenico and Francesco Pizzigano, known as the Pizzigani brothers, were 14th-century

Venetian Venetian often means from or related to: * Venice, a city in Italy * Veneto, a region of Italy * Republic of Venice (697–1797), a historical nation in that area Venetians might refer to: * Masters of Venetian painting in 15th-16th centuries * ...

cartographer Cartography (; from , 'papyrus, sheet of paper, map'; and , 'write') is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an imagined reality) can ...

s. Their surname is sometimes given as Pizigano (only one 'z') in older sources.

1367 chart

] The Pizzigani brothers are principally known for the construction of a

portolan chart Portolan charts are nautical charts, first made in the 13th century in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean basin and later expanded to include other regions. The word ''portolan'' comes from the Italian language, Italian ''portolano'', meaning " ...

, signed and dated 1367, currently held by the

Biblioteca Palatina The Biblioteca Palatina, or Palatina Library, was established in 1761 in the city of Parma by Philip Bourbon, Duke of Parma. It is one of the cultural institutions housed within the Palazzo della Pilotta complex in the center of Parma. The lib ...

Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...

(Ms.Parm.1612). Measuring 138 by 92 cm, it is one of the largest maps of that era. There is some controversy over the authorship. The note on the edge of the map, states (in one reading): ""MCCCLXVII. Hoc opus compoxuid franciscus pizigano veneciar et domnus pizigano In Venexia meffecit marcus die XII decembris.". The common assumption is that this refers to two brothers, Francesco Pizzigano and Domenico Pizzigano. Among the various alternative hypothesis is that Francesco was the son of Domenico, rather than his brother (and that Domenico might be dead by this date); that 'domnus' is a title for a priest, that the proper first name of the second author is Marco, that a close reading of the authorship note seems more like 'rardus' – or (Ge)rardus, Gerardo; that there might be three brothers (Francesco, Domenico, Marco/Gerardo), etc. It was customary to refer to the brothers as the ''Pizigani'' (one z), until the discovery of the 1424 map of

Zuane Pizzigano Zuane Pizzigano (sometimes given as Giovanni Pizzigano), was a 15th-century Venetian cartographer. He is the author of a famous 1424 portolan chart, the first known to depict the phantom islands of the purported Antillia archipelago (Antillia, S ...

in the 20th century suggested a re-spelling to a double z. The Pizzigani portolan of 1367 is notable for going beyond the normal geographical boundaries of contemporary maps (Mediterranean and Black Seas) to include large swathes of the Atlantic Ocean, the northerly Scandinavian peninsula and the Baltic and Caspian Seas. The 1367 Pizzigani chart gives an expanded depiction of the

Canary Island The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the continent being 100 kilometres (62 mi ...

s, showing eight of them, reflecting the knowledge accumulated since the 1339

Angelino Dulcert Angelino Dulcert (floruit, fl. 1339), probably the same person known as Angelino de Dalorto (floruit, fl. 1320s), and whose real name was probably Angelino de Dulceto or Dulceti or possibly Angelí Dolcet, was an Italian people, Italian-Majorcan ca ...

chart. It also includes the

fantasy island ''Fantasy Island'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Gene Levitt. It aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The series starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant, Tattoo. ...

s of

Brasil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

(in the open ocean, with ships and dragons of Arab legend depicted around it). North of the real Canaries, the Pizzigani brothers also depicted a fictional cluster of

Fortunate Islands The Fortunate Isles or Isles of the Blessed (, ''makarōn nēsoi'') were semi-legendary islands in the Atlantic Ocean, variously treated as a simple geographical location and as a winterless earthly paradise inhabited by the heroes of Greek myth ...

, intended to capture

Saint Brendan's Island Saint Brendan's Island, also known as Saint Brendan's Isle or San Borondon, is a phantom island or mythical island, supposedly situated in the North Atlantic somewhere west of Northern Africa. It is named after Saint Brendan of Clonfert. He an ...

, graced by an image of Brendan himself in monastic garb. The Pizzigani map is also the first in which the mythical Isle of Mam (southwest of Ireland) makes its first appearance. Pizigani 1367 Figure Legend

Some historians once believed the legendary island of ''

Antillia Antillia (or Antilia) is a phantom island that was reputed, during the 15th-century age of exploration, to lie in the Atlantic Ocean, far to the west of Portugal and Spain. The island also went by the name of Isle of Seven Cities (''Ilha das Se ...

'', made famous in many 15th-century portolan charts, was first insinuated cartographically in the 1367 Pizigani brothers chart. On the western edge of the map, although there is no island depicted or mentioned, there is a disk with a picture of a man with hand outstretched, and an inscription, which some have read as saying "Here are statues which stand before the shores of Atullia (''ante ripas Atulliae'') and which have been set up for the safety of sailors; for beyond is the vile sea, which sailors cannot navigate". Some scholars, especially in the 19th century, believed this ''Atullia'' was the first reference to "Antillia" on a map (e.g. Buache, Kretschmer, Nordenskiöld) but this reading has been doubted since. Crone (1938) read it as ''ante ripas Getuliae'' (

Getulia Gaetuli was the Romanised name of an ancient Berber tribe inhabiting ''Getulia''. The latter district covered the large desert region south of the Atlas Mountains, bordering the Sahara. Other documents place Gaetulia in pre-Roman times along the M ...

). Beginning with Hennig (1945), the inscription has been commonly read as ''at temps Arcules'' or ''ante templum Arcules'' (from the time/temple of

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

)., almost doubtlessly a reference to the

Pillars of Hercules The Pillars of Hercules are the promontory, promontories that flank the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar. The northern Pillar, Calpe Mons, is the Rock of Gibraltar. A corresponding North African peak not being predominant, the identity of ...

, the ''non-plus ultra'' of ancient navigation, as transmitted via Arab sources, e.g.

al-Masudi al-Masʿūdī (full name , ), –956, was a historian, geographer and traveler. He is sometimes referred to as the "Herodotus of the Arabs". A polymath and prolific author of over twenty works on theology, history (Islamic and universal), geo ...

speaks of the "copper idols" of "King Hercules the Giant" marking the edge of the Green Sea of Darkness,

al-Idrisi Abu Abdullah Muhammad al-Idrisi al-Qurtubi al-Hasani as-Sabti, or simply al-Idrisi (; ; 1100–1165), was an Arab Muslim geographer and cartographer who served in the court of King Roger II at Palermo, Sicily. Muhammad al-Idrisi was born in C ...

places the marker 'idols' on islands away from the straits. The 1367 map also provides one of the first clear European depictions of the legendary "River of Gold" in west Africa. This is the "western Nile" described by Arabic sources, notably the geographers

al-Bakri Abū ʿUbayd ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Muḥammad ibn Ayyūb ibn ʿAmr al-Bakrī (), or simply al-Bakrī (c. 1040–1094) was an Arab Andalusian historian and a geographer of the Muslim West. Life Al-Bakri was born in Huelva, the ...

and

. The western Nile is essentially the

Senegal River The Senegal River ( or "Senegal" - compound of the Serer term "Seen" or "Sene" or "Sen" (from Roog Seen, Supreme Deity in Serer religion) and "O Gal" (meaning "body of water")); , , , ) is a river in West Africa; much of its length mark ...

and the

Niger River The Niger River ( ; ) is the main river of West Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in south-eastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border. It runs in a crescent shape through Mali, Nige ...

, which were long assumed to be connected to each other, flowing through the gold-producing heart of the

Mali Empire The Mali Empire (Manding languages, Manding: ''Mandé''Ki-Zerbo, Joseph: ''UNESCO General History of Africa, Vol. IV, Abridged Edition: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century'', p. 57. University of California Press, 1997. or ''Manden ...

. The Pizzigani brothers called it the "Palolus" river, and place its source at a large lake in the " Mountains of the Moon" in the east (from which the Egyptian

Nile The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the List of river sy ...

was also believed to stem). The Pizzigani show the river running west, pouring into the Atlantic Ocean somewhere south of "Caput finis Gozola" (

Cape Non Cape Chaunar, Cap Uarsig, Cape Nun, ''Cap Noun'', ''Cabo de Não'' or ''Nant'' is a cape on the Atlantic coast of Africa, in southern Morocco, between Tarfaya and Sidi Ifni. By the 15th century it was considered insurmountable by Arabs and Europ ...

). The Pizzigani brothers place the actual gold mines on a river island which they call the "island of Palola" (probably the Buré gold district, which surrounded by branches of the upper Niger River, was mistaken for a river island). The Pizzigani map also makes note of the legend of

Prester John Prester John () was a mythical Christian patriarch, presbyter, and king. Stories popular in Europe in the 12th to the 17th centuries told of a Church of the East, Nestorian patriarch and king who was said to rule over a Christian state, Christian ...

, noting that so much gold was found there, that it was even used to tile the roofs of houses and forge the weapons of his soldiers.

Other charts

In addition to the 1367 chart (

Biblioteca Palatina, Parma The Biblioteca Palatina, or Palatina Library, was established in 1761 in the city of Parma by Philip, Duke of Parma, Philip Bourbon, Duke of Parma. It is one of the cultural institutions housed within the Palazzo della Pilotta complex in the cen ...

, Ms.Parm.1612), the Pizzigani brothers are believed to be responsible for four other maps: * (Domenico Pizzigano alone): small map of Palestine and Syria, dated 1350, facsimile held by the

Bibliothèque nationale de France The (; BnF) is the national library of France, located in Paris on two main sites, ''Richelieu'' and ''François-Mitterrand''. It is the national repository of all that is published in France. Some of its extensive collections, including bo ...

in Paris (Ge F 2428). * (Francesco Pizzigano alone):

of the Mediterranean, dated 1373, held by the

Biblioteca Ambrosiana The Biblioteca Ambrosiana is a historic library in Milan, Italy, also housing the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, the Ambrosian art gallery. Named after Ambrose, the patron saint of Milan, it was founded in 1609 by Cardinal Federico Borromeo, whose age ...

in Milan (SP10,29). * (attributed to Pizzigani): an anonymous and undated portolan chart (c. 1375–1400) held by the Biblioteca Civica Correr in Venice.Campbell (2011b
here
* (possibly Pizzigani): an anonymous fragment of a chart (East Mediterranean only) that was part of the private collection of Youssoff Kamal, now held by Dar al-Kutub in

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

. Venetian cartographer

, responsible for a famous 1424 portolan chart, containing the first unambiguous depiction of

, is believed to be related to Domenico and Francesco Pizzigano (possibly a son of one of them).Cortesão (1953, 1954)

References

Sources

* Astengo, Corradino (2007) "The Renaissance chart tradition in the Mediterranean", in D. Woodward, editor, ''The History of Cartography'', Vol. 3. Cartography in the European Renaissance. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. * Beazley, C.R. (1897) ''The Dawn of Modern Geography''. London
vol. 1
* Buache, Jean-Nicholas (1806) "Recherches sur l'île Antillia et sur l'époque de la découverte de l'Amérique''Mémoires de l'Institut des Sciences, Lettres et Arts'', Vol. 6, Paris: Baudoin
p.1-29
* Campbell, T. (2011a) "Census of pre-sixteenth-century portolan charts: Corrections and updates"

accessed 7 July 2011) * Campbell, T. (2011b) "Anonymous works and the question of their attribution to individual chartmakers or to their supposed workshops"

accessed 7 July 2011) * Cortesão, Armando (1953) "The North Atlantic Nautical Chart of 1424" ''Imago Mundi'', Vol. 10
JSTOR
* Cortesão, Armando (1954) ''The Nautical Chart of 1424 and the Early Discovery and Cartographical Representation of America''. Coimbra and Minneapolis. (Portuguese trans. "A Carta Nautica de 1424", published in 1975, ''Esparsos'', Coimbra
vol. 3
* Crone, C.R. (1937) "The Bianco Chart, 1448, and the 'Pillars of Hercules'", ''The Geographical Journal'', Vol. 89 (5), pp. 485–87. * Crone, G. R. (1938) "The Origin of the Name Antillia", ''The Geographical Journal'', Vol. 91, No. 3 (Mar.), pp. 260–262 * Crone, G.R. (1947) "The Pizigano Chart and the 'Pillars of Hercules'", ''The Geographical Journal'', Apr–Jun, Vol.100, pp. 278–9. * Fischer, Theobald (1886) ''Sammlung mittelalterlicher Welt- und Seekarten italienischen Ursprungsund aus italienischen Bibliotheken und Archiven'' Venice: F. Ongania
online
* Hennig, R. (1945) "Eine altes Rätsel der Pizigano-Karte gelöst" in ''Mitteilungen der geographischen Gesellschaft Wien'', vol. 88, pp. 53–56. * Kretschmer, Konrad (1892) ''Die Entdeckung Amerika's in ihrer Bedeutung für die Geschichte des Weltbildes''. Berlin: Kühl
online
* Longhena, M. (1907) "Atlanti e Carte Nautiche del Secolo XIV al XVII, conservati nella biblioteca e nell'archivio di Parma", ''Archivio Storico per le Provincie Parmensi'', Vol. VII
offprint
* Longhena, M. (1927) "La carta dei Fratelli Pizigano della Biblioteca Palatina di Parma", ''Atti del X Congresso Geographico Italino'', Milan. * Major, R.H. (1868) ''The Life of Prince Henry, surnamed the Navigator''. London: Asher & Co * Nordenskiöld, Adolf Erik (1897) ''Periplus: An Essay on the Early History of Charts and Sailing Directions'', tr. Frances A. Bather, Stockholm: Norstedt. * Russell, Peter E. (2000) Prince Henry 'the Navigator': a life. New Haven, Conn: Yale University Press. {{Authority control 14th-century Venetian people 14th-century Italian cartographers Republic of Venice scientists 14th-century geographers 14th-century writers in Latin