THE FOLIO SOCIETY

As we turn the huge pages, we see the world both as it was conceived in the fertile imaginations of the Middle Ages and as it was seen through the eyes of the seafaring explorers of the Renaissance. A prized possession of the British Library, it is without question one of the most important and remarkable manuscripts in the history of map-making.

In The Queen Mary Atlas – commissioned as a gift for Philip II of Spain from his wife – the world is dominated by the great maritime powers of Spain and Portugal. Ships patrol the seas or do battle with rival fleets. Ornate compass roses gesture enigmatically to the East. Flags and coats of arms jostle with pictorial vignettes of major cities and natural landmarks. Islamic banners in North Africa and the Balkans cast a threatening shadow over the borders of Christian Europe. The increasing geographical knowledge of the time is permeated with myths and misconceptions; monstrous creatures swim in uncharted, non-existent waters; legendary African kings rule from the foothills of mountains. But that is part of the great beauty and charm of this remarkable manuscript.