Mare Del Nord, Coronelli’s 1691 panorama of the North Atlantic world, is a study in both precision and pageantry. The chart sweeps from the European and African littorals to the shores of North and South America, braiding coasts, capes, and islands into a single navigational stage defined by crisp rhumb lines and a commanding compass rose. Greenland appears as “Groenlandia,” while Iceland retains its humanist sobriquet, “Isola di Thule,” elegantly yoking classical lore to modern reconnaissance. An ornate cartouche frames the title and authorship in high Baroque splendor, while a provocative annotation credits the Venetian Antonio Zeno with the discovery of America—an audacious historiographic gesture that threads imperial pride, scholarly rivalry, and maritime rumor into the very fabric of the sea.

The map bears the unmistakable intellect and bravura of Vincenzo Maria Coronelli, Franciscan friar, cosmographer to the Republic of Venice, and among the most accomplished geographical minds of the seventeenth century. Revered for his monumental globes for Louis XIV and for founding the Accademia degli Argonauti, Coronelli fused empirical data with a theatrical sense of design. Issued at the moment when his Atlante Veneto was reshaping Europe’s understanding of the world, Mare Del Nord distills his method: exacting hydrographic intelligence rendered with lapidary lettering and high-contrast ornament, all organized within a navigational framework consistent with the Mercator tradition that pilots used to plot constant bearings across the oceans.

What most astonishes here is the density and authority of coastal knowledge. Along the American shorelines, more than one hundred place-names mark bays, promontories, river mouths, and anchorages, from the fisheries of the north to the Caribbean archipelago and onward along the South American seaboard. Rivers lace the margins, translating continental interiors into maritime intelligence by tracing estuaries and passages that mattered to pilots, merchants, and privateers. Across the open Atlantic, a net of navigational lines suggests customary routes and bearings, implicitly narrating cycles of trade, diplomacy, and warfare that bound Europe, Africa, and the Americas into an increasingly integrated—if contested—oceanic system.

Coronelli’s marginal note elevating the claims of Antonio Zeno is more than antiquarian flourish; it is a window into late seventeenth-century debates over priority and provenance in the discovery of the New World. By championing a Venetian lineage for Atlantic exploration, the map participates in a vibrant discourse that pitted classical geographies and medieval narratives against emergent national myths surrounding Columbus, Cabot, and the Norse. The presence of “Groenlandia” and “Isola di Thule” further entwines classical memory with modern reconnaissance, while the meticulous catalog of American toponyms signals a decisive shift from speculative cosmography to an archive of usable, verifiable coastal knowledge.

Stylistically, Mare Del Nord is a consummate performance of Coronelli’s baroque idiom. The cartouche blooms with sculptural vigor—strapwork, scrolls, and maritime emblems—balancing the rigorous geometry of rhumb lines and the starburst elegance of the compass rose. The hierarchy of lettering, the disciplined spacing of toponyms, and the clean articulation of coastlines testify to a cartographer who prized legibility as a moral as much as a practical virtue. Set on a rhumb-lined grid that enabled constant-course sailing, the composition unites science and spectacle, yielding a chart that is both a working instrument of navigation and a statement piece for a learned audience at a moment when Europe’s geopolitical horizon was rapidly, and irrevocably, expanding.

Countries and regions on this map

• North America
• South America
• Europe
• Africa
• Atlantic Ocean
• Caribbean Islands
• Greenland (referred to as "Groenlandia")
• Iceland (referred to as "Isola di Thule")

Notable Features & Landmarks

• Cartouche: A decorative element presenting the title and creator, featuring artistic embellishments.
• Place Names: More than 100 coastal locations labeled along the American shorelines.
• Coastal Rivers: Depicted rivers along the coastlines, enhancing geographical insight.
• Annotated Discovery Claims: Notes referencing the discoveries attributed to Antonio Zeno.
• Compass Rose: Typical navigational feature, indicating directionality.
• Navigational Lines: Lines showing navigational routes across the Atlantic.

Historical and design context

• Mapmaker: Vincenzo Maria Coronelli.
• Creation Year: 1691.
• Cartographic Significance: Coronelli was a prominent mapmaker of the late 17th century, known for his detailed and artistic maps.
• Themes: Focuses on the Atlantic Ocean and the coastlines of America, Europe, and Africa, highlighting geographical features, place names, and notable historical claims.
• Interesting Context: Credits Antonio Zeno with the discovery of America, reflecting the historical discourse on exploration and discovery during the late 1600s.
• Design Style: Features a highly ornate cartouche, indicative of Coronelli’s style and the elaborate baroque influences of the period.
• Historical Context: Publication aligns with growing European interest in the Americas, marking a transition in geopolitical awareness.

Please double check the images to make sure that a specific town or place is shown on this map. You can also get in touch and ask us to check the map for you.

This map looks great at every size, but I always recommend going for a larger size if you have space. That way you can easily make out all of the details.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 100in (250cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

The model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) version of this map.

The fifth listing image shows an example of my map personalisation service.

If you’re looking for something slightly different, check out my collection of the best old maps to see if something else catches your eye.

Please contact me to check if a certain location, landmark or feature is shown on this map.

This would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, work leaving, anniversary or housewarming gift for someone from the areas covered by this map.

This map is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. The frame is a nice, simple black frame that suits most aesthetics. Please get in touch if you'd like a different frame colour or material. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.