1511 Bernardus Sylvanus - Cordiform Map of the World

The significance of this world map, one of the most important in the history of cartography, is in its use of the cordiform (heart-shaped) projection, one of the first known to make use of the projection, which had been devised by Johannes Stabius in Vienna in 1500. The map, published in Venice in 1511, uses graphic depictions of newly discovered territories including the whole of Cuba, much of Brazil, and of North America and Labrador. It is the first known map to include the discoveries of the Corte-Real brothers, dating to the early 16th century. The map was Sylvanus’ attempt to depict the world according to new information and  knowledge which was becoming available in the early years of the Age of Discovery.   Visually stunning, the map features twelve compass winds resembling those used in antiquity. Signs of the zodiac are used to represent the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, and the scales of Libra are used to denote the equator, where night and day are constantly equal. The m