Historic Map : Jansson Wind Rose, Anemographic Chart, or Map of The Winds , 1650, Vintage Wall Art

An exceptionally rare example of one of the earliest and most significant anemographic, or wind rose, charts to appear in the 17th century. This unusual chart represents a transitional point in the perception of direction, or to be precise, the transition from the wind rose to the compass rose. Early mariners in the Mediterranean defined direction by the names the various winds and the points from which they blew. This idea traces its roots to ancient Greece. Homer identified four cardinal winds, but as navigation and cartography advanced, more were added. This chart represents a full thirty-two named winds and a multitude of different wind systems. Each of the winds is identified by several different names in Greek, Latin, French, and Dutch. Each wind is additionally attached to both contemporary compass points, north west east and south, and a more sophisticated circle and degree system. In the areas surrounding the sphere, each wind is personified by a figure bearing the racial characteristics associated with the region or direction represented. The upper left quadrant, representing north, depicts bearded Germans or Scandinavians. The upper right, representing east, shows beardless dark skinned faces. The beardless and pale skinned figures in the lower left and right, representing west and south, are less distinguishable but may be intended to represent indigenous Americans and Greeks. Anemographic charts, like this, were functional objects and valuable reference tools. Early navigators, referring to the directions as winds, might sail by the north wind. This chart was published as plate 1 in Jansonnius' 1650 Atlas Maritimus or volume 5 in his Atlantis Majoris .