Foundations of  Western European Cartography in Texas Collections

This world map by Oronce Fine shows the extraordinary development in cartography that was made possible by the coordinate system popularized by the successive editions of Ptolemy.  Each half of the map relies on a polar projection, thus completely overthrowing previous ideas about proper priorities of representation.

     Fine was an interesting figure in that he was a professor of mathematics from 1531 at the University of Paris, where his patron was Francis I (1515-1547). This French king was the first of his line to see how useful maps would be in the process of government; later on, French mapmakers became closely allied with royal policy-makers.