Aegean Portolan Viegas — Antique Nautical Chart Print

This chart carries the name of Gaspar Luís Viegas, a 16th-century Portuguese chartmaker whose surviving portolan of the Aegean Sea is among the relatively rare Portuguese charts to survive from that era, since so much of Portugal's early cartographic archive was destroyed in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake and fire. Portuguese chartmakers of the period drew on their nation's unmatched firsthand experience of long-distance ocean navigation, gained through the voyages of exploration that had rounded Africa and reached India by the end of the previous century. A signed, attributable Portuguese portolan like this one is a valuable link back to the practical, hard-won navigational knowledge that powered Portugal's maritime empire.

Materials & origin

• Material: 200 gsm gallery-grade, acid-free fine-art paper (FSC-certified).
• Print: Archival giclée, 12-colour printing, smooth matte finish for glare-free display.
• Artwork: Restored from a public-domain original; colour and detail digitally cleaned for large-format print.
• Origin: Made on demand and shipped from the print hub nearest you, cutting transit and waste.
• Framing: Sold unframed; ships rolled in a protective tube.