Giorgio Sideri
Encyclopedia
Giorgio Sideri called Callapoda (active 1537–1565) was a 16th-century cartographer, born in Candia
(Crete
), who worked in Venice
, where map-making skills were essential to the mercantile economy and to protection and control of the far-flung Venetian thalassocracy
.
Four of his navigational chart
s and five hydrographical atlas
es, often in ink and watercolor on parchment
are known; they bear dates ranging from 1537 to 1565 and several are dedicated to Venetian nobles.
Giorgio Sideri Callapoda came briefly into the news when his copy of a previously unknown fifteenth-century portolan chart
by Fra Mauro
was sold at auction in Milan, October 1984.
It was signed in a cartouche Giorgi Callapoda a Candia faciebat, and dated 1541; the coat-of-arms in the map shows that it was made for the Venetian commander of galleys Francesco Zeno the elder, a member of the noble Venetian family of Zeno.
Candia
-Places:* The old Venetian name for Heraklion, Crete* Kingdom of Candia, colony of the Republic of Venice * Candia Canavese, Italy* Candia Lomellina, Italy...
(Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
), who worked in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, where map-making skills were essential to the mercantile economy and to protection and control of the far-flung Venetian thalassocracy
Thalassocracy
The term thalassocracy refers to a state with primarily maritime realms—an empire at sea, such as Athens or the Phoenician network of merchant cities...
.
Four of his navigational chart
Nautical chart
A nautical chart is a graphic representation of a maritime area and adjacent coastal regions. Depending on the scale of the chart, it may show depths of water and heights of land , natural features of the seabed, details of the coastline, navigational hazards, locations of natural and man-made aids...
s and five hydrographical atlas
Atlas
An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a map of Earth or a region of Earth, but there are atlases of the other planets in the Solar System. Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats...
es, often in ink and watercolor on parchment
Parchment
Parchment is a thin material made from calfskin, sheepskin or goatskin, often split. Its most common use was as a material for writing on, for documents, notes, or the pages of a book, codex or manuscript. It is distinct from leather in that parchment is limed but not tanned; therefore, it is very...
are known; they bear dates ranging from 1537 to 1565 and several are dedicated to Venetian nobles.
Giorgio Sideri Callapoda came briefly into the news when his copy of a previously unknown fifteenth-century portolan chart
Portolan chart
Portolan charts are navigational maps based on realistic descriptions of harbours and coasts. They were first made in the 14th century in Italy, Portugal and Spain...
by Fra Mauro
Fra Mauro
Fra Mauro, O.S.B. Cam., was a 15th-century Camaldolese monk who lived in the Republic of Venice. He was a monk of the Monastery of St. Michael, located on the island of Murano in the Venetian Lagoon. It was there that he maintained a cartography workshop.In his youth, Mauro had traveled...
was sold at auction in Milan, October 1984.
It was signed in a cartouche Giorgi Callapoda a Candia faciebat, and dated 1541; the coat-of-arms in the map shows that it was made for the Venetian commander of galleys Francesco Zeno the elder, a member of the noble Venetian family of Zeno.