Fernão Vaz Dourado

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Nautical chart of the 1571 atlas, depicting the north-western coast of Africa (Portuguese National Archives of Torre do Tombo, Lisbon). The text in the border reads: In this sheet it is drawn all the coast of Africa and Guinea up to S. Tomé Island

Fernão Vaz Dourado (Goa-India c. 1520 - c. 1580) was a Portuguese cartographer of the 16th century, belonging to the third period of the old Portuguese nautical cartography, characterized by the abandon of Ptolemaic influence in the representation of the Orient and a better accuracy in the depiction of lands and continents. Little is known about his historical figure.

The known works of Dourado are of an extraordinary quality and beauty and he is considered as one of the best cartographers of the time. Most of his manuscript charts are of relatively large scale and included in nautical atlases. The following six atlas are known, from the period 1568-1580:

1568 - 20 manuscript sheets on parchment, dedicated to D. Luiz de Ataíde (Biblioteca Nacional, Madrid)
1570 - 20 manuscript sheets on parchment (Huntington Library, San Marino, USA)
1571 - 20 manuscript sheets on parchment, two were stollen in the 19th century (Torre do Tombo, Lisbon)
c. 1576 - 20 manuscript sheets on parchment (Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal, Lisbon)
1575 - 21 manuscript sheets on parchment (British Museum, London)
1580 - 20 manuscript sheets on parchment (Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal, Lisbon)

The 1568 atlas contains the first large scale charts of Ceilão (Sri Lanka) and Japan, later copied by many other cartographers.

[edit] References

Fialho, João Ramalho (2007) – Navegações Portuguesas: Fernão Vaz Dourado.
Cortesão A. and Mota, Teixeira da (1987)– Portugallae Monumenta Cartographica. Imprensa Nacional – Casa da Moeda, Lisboa.