Author: Fra Mauro
1450 Map of the World by Venetian monk Fra Mauro. The map depicts Asia, Africa and Europe
This was perhaps the first ‘modern’ world map, made by the Venetian monk Fra Mauro in about 1450. It points south because 15th-century compasses were south-pointing. It shows the Portuguese discoveries in Africa and questioned the authority of medieval and classical sources. Intended for display in Venice, it emphasises the feats of Marco Polo.