The First Map of Scotland, about
1570
Paolo Forlani - Scotia:
Regno di Scotia. |
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This
map is thought to be
by Paolo Forlani, an Italian engraver active during the 1560s and
1570s. It is a re-engraving of the Scottish portion of the 1546 map
of the British Isles by George Lily. Its representation of Scotland
at the time of Mary Queen of Scots reveals the limited knowledge of
the shape of the Kingdom in the 16th century. Although the East
Coast outline is recognizable, the islands and West Coast owe more
to imagination and traveller's descriptions than reality. Until
recently it was considered to be the first surviving printed map of
Scotland on its own, but new research has revealed an untitled
version, which appears to be slightly earlier, in a collection in
the Netherlands.
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