Robert Dudley (1574–1649). Carta particolare...Arabia...1647

Robert Dudley (1574–1649)
Carta particolare che comincia con il capo Dofar in Arabia e finisce con il capo Comorin in India, et tapora nell’Indie
From Dell’Arcano del Mare, Florence: Lucini for Dudley, 1646–1647
Copperplate engraving
Sheet size: 23 x 17 inches

This rare and extraordinary sea chart by Robert Dudley, engraved by Antonio Francesco Lucini, is a landmark in the history of cartography. Published in Florence as part of Dudley’s Dell’Arcano del Mare (The Secret of the Sea), this chart traces the Arabian Sea from Dhofar in southern Arabia to Cape Comorin at the southern tip of India, detailing the critical commercial and navigational corridor that connected the Middle East with the Indian subcontinent.

Dudley’s charts stand apart for their refined Italianate style and scientific rigor. This example includes a richly calligraphed grid, coastal notations in Italian, and elegantly stylized features such as compass roses, sailing directions (commercio verso Persia, verso l’India, etc.), and an ornate shell-and-scroll title cartouche. It was one of the first to apply Mercator’s projection in a sea atlas and the first to feature uniform charts of all the world’s oceans.

As the first maritime atlas produced by an Englishman and the only one ever printed in Italy, Dell’Arcano del Mare is a triumph of both artistic engraving and naval science. This chart exemplifies Dudley’s global vision and his role in advancing early modern hydrography.