Nautical atlas

The nautical chart drawn by Joan Oliva, in Messina in 1592, is made up of four parchment sheets. The front page is illustrated with the Annunciation and an elipsoidal world map. The first page of the atlas shows the Western Mediterranean and the Atlantic coast; the second shows the Central Mediterranean region and the third the Eastern Mediterranean. The atlas is signed and features the inscription “Joannes Oliva, made in the noble town of Messina, in 1592”. In the atlas, Joan Oliva includes walled cities, compass roses, compass points and a scale bar.