Making the World Go 'Round: How Urbano Monte Created his Map of 1587, pop up map exhibit and talk by Chet Van Duzer

Event Details:

On February 23rd at 3.30 pm, the David Rumsey Map Center will have on display the original 430 year old Urbano Monte 1587 map long with its 10 feet by 10 feet facsimile and its virtual derivatives at the Center.  This will be followed by a talk featuring Chet van Duzer, History of Cartography scholar and recent David and Abby Rumsey Fellow at the David Rumsey Map Center and the John Carter Brown Library in Boston. Chet will be presenting on his research conducted over the course of 3 months on the Urbano Monte 1587 map. 

The talk is entitled: Making the World Go 'Round: How Urbano Monte Created his Map of 1587

Urbano Monte's map of 1587 is a spectacular creation, designed to be assembled into an image of the world 10.5 feet in diameter, on an unusual projection, intended to be rotated about its center, and elaborately decorated with images of sovereigns, sea monsters, and animals. In this talk Chet Van Duzer will present new research how Urbano Monte went about making the map: the events and works that inspired him, the sources from which he borrowed, and his own statements about the map.

A joint publication by Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps and the David Rumsey Map Center details more about this magnificent map, eons ahead of its time. 

The acquisition has been recognized internationally by the press, including the National Geographic, El Pais, the CBC and many others. 

Schedule of Events

3 pm: Center opens to the public for viewing
3.30 pm - 4.45 pm: Chet Van Duzer Talk
4.45 pm - 5.30 pm: post talk map viewing

Admission Info

The talk is free, but requires advance registration. Please register here.