Benincasa 1468 and 1469. Four Most Important Maps

According to Cortesão in his 'History of Portuguese Cartography', Volume II (1971) the four maps from G. Benincasa made in 1468 and 1469 are the "most important".  Because on them "for the first time" the Cape Verde Islands are "represented" and the African coast reaches a little beyond Cape Mesurado.

Cortesão's subscription on map 1 (fig. 83) and 4 (fig 84):

Details of the four maps.

1. Benincasa 1468. British Library (London) Add MS 6390

Cortesão:

Full map. Source: Garcia de Orta, 'Cinco seculos de cartografia das ilhas de Cabo Verde', A. Teixeira da Mota (1961) and Cortesão, 'History of Portuguese Cartography', Volume II (1971)

 

Detail with Cabo Verde Islands:

2. Benincasa 1468. Principe di Trabia e Butera

Owners: (1) unknown (2) Principe di Trabia e Butera (3) Otto Schäfer (4) H.P. Kraus (5) British Rail Pension Fund (6) unknown (7) unknown. More on this map in my blog 'Islands in Blue, Red, Gold Leaf and Green'.

Cortesão:

Full map. Source: Garcia de Orta, 'Cinco seculos de cartografia das ilhas de Cabo Verde', A. Teixeira da Mota (1961)

Detail with Cabo Verde Islands:

3. Benincasa 1469. British Library (London) ADD MS 31315

Cortesão:

Full map:

Not found yet

Detail with Cabo Verde Islands:

Not found yet

4. Benincasa 1469. Biblioteca Ambrosiana (Milano) SP2, 35

Cortesão:

Full map. Source: Garcia de Orta, 'Cinco seculos de cartografia das ilhas de Cabo Verde', A. Teixeira da Mota (1961) and Cortesão, 'History of Portuguese Cartography', Volume II (1971)

Detail with Cabo Verde Islands:

Benincasa 1468 Princes of Trabia. Islands in Blue, Red, Gold Leaf and Green

According to Armando Cortesão and Tony Campbell there are two remaining Benincasa atlases with the Cape Verde islands on them from year 1468. It's unclear which one of the two is older. 

1. Benincasa, G. 1468. Owner British Library. Number 'Add. MS 6390'

2. Benincasa, G. 1468. According to Cortesão the owner is 'Principe di Trabia e Butera'. Accordering to Campbell '(H.P. Kraus)'. Information Cortesão in his 'History of Portuguese Cartography', Volume II (1971):

Atlas 2 is for sale at Christie's for an estimated price of USD 2,397,000 - 3,995,000.

Signature Benincasa and date 1468

Side view

Upper cover

Upper cover. Detail

Back cover

Chart with Cape Verde coast and Cape Verde islands

Cape Verde islands detail

Cape Verde coast

Christie's 'Overview' of this map

Mark in the 'Provenance' that the Princes of Trabia ('Principe di Trabia') was the second owner and Kraus the fourth. The sixth owner is selling this Benincasa 1468 atlas.

Apple Orchard. In Dutch Appel Boomgaert

In March of this year I bought this map. Anonymous 1640-1660 

With a reading glass I tried to read or decipher what is written on the map. Most of the text on this map is in Dutch ('Belgis'). Pretty though to read anything substantial.

Couple of weeks later I looked at the details of this map. Blaeu J 1662

My conclusion: the texts on the two maps are identical. In every detail!

Titles compared:

'Appel Boomgaert' (English 'Apple Orchard') and 'Conde de St. Crux' compared on São Antonio: 

'Klip Water Pl' and 'Zand Strant' and 'Groote Inwyck' compared on São Vincente:

'S. Domingo' and 'Porto de Rey Beraon' and ' Hoeck van Fortalesa' compared on Santiago:

Detail of Porto de Rey Beraon: "BERAON". I have no idea who King ('Rey' in 'Hispanis') Beraon is.

Two maps are identical. Only difference colour and placement of title.

Satellite vs Benincasa 1468

Big bird's view on the Cape Verde islands. Satellite picture:

Benincasa 1468:

The location of the islands compared with island Sal as point zero:

Not so bad. Biggest "mistakes": posting of Brava and São Nicolão.

Benincasa's 1468 map?

Hennig writes in his 'Terrae Incognitae, band IV' (page 140 and 209): "die ganze Kapverdischen Inseln erscheinen erstmalig 1468 auf der Benincasa-Karte". Translated: the Cape Verde islands appear for the first time in 1468 on the Benincasa-Karte. 

Benincasa's 1468 map? Which map made by Graziosa Benincasa (around 1400 - unknown) with the Cape Verde Islands included? Between 1468 and 1480 thirteen maps were made by him or imitators and two of them were made in 1468 (source):

According to Heuijerjans these two maps are from Benincasa and from 1468 (source):  

Correct? According to Tony Campbell from Map History MS 6390 should present 8 islands and Kraus "all" Cape Verde Islands. The first map above has 4 islands and the second one 8. 

Back to the sources. To be continued ...

Before Benincasa. Santiago on 1459 Map?

Island Santiago on 1459 map?

Had Fra Mauro (died 1460) knowledge of the Cape Verde Islands in 1459? In a rubric near the west coast of Africa he writes (source): "everywhere they found the coast not dangerous, with the soundings good, convenient for navigation and with no risk from storms . . . they have framed new charts of these regions and given names to the rivers, bays, capes, and ports. I have many of these charts in my possession . . ."

Is this island Santiago on the Fra Mauro Map of the World? The map he made for King Afonso V of Portugal.

Source whole map here; detail here.

Knowledge via Cadamosto or Antonio de Noli? Hennig's conclusion in his 'Terrae Incognitae, band IV' (page 180):

Translated (from German by JD): "My proposal, Gomes' discovery claims completely to reject and to accept that Cadamosto in july 1456 examined the islands briefly and that Antonio de Noli about 1458 explored the islands thorough."

Cadamosto's report of his discovery in 'Terrae Incognitae, band IV' (page 163-166) in German:

Source: Google Books

Cadamosto tells us - in the report above - that he found the islands, in 1456, after a storm of 2 nights and 3 days on his way to explore the Gambia river. He and his crew were very surprised to find land there. They called the first island they saw Bonavista. They sailed around the island until they found a good anchorage. With a well-armed boot a few crewman landed on the island. They concluded that the island was uninhabited: no trace of human beings. They gave one other islands a name too: Jacob.

P.S. I wrote about Hennig in this earlier blogpost 'You!'

Dots in a Corner. Enlarged. Benincasa Map 1468

The Cape Verde islands were discovered between 1455 and 1461. The oldest map with the islands included, was made in year 1468 by Benincasa. Just some dots in a corner. The dots enlarged:

The names of the Cape Verde Islands:

• Isola de Sal

• La de bonavista

• Isola de mais

• Isola San Jacomo

• San Felippe

• Brava

• San Nicolo

• San Vicento