Nautical Maps, Between Imagination and Reality: the Miller Atlas

The Miller Atlas, a Portuguese nautical chart made around 1520, is the sum of the geographical and scientific knowledge of the time, and offers a new image of the regions that successive explorations enabled us to better understand. Even if the coasts of faraway lands are less unknown, particularly those of the Indian Ocean, the boundaries remain mysterious and the exploration of the land is in its infancy; the cartographer therefore fills in the gaps by including many biblical and fantastic characters such as this griffin, who seems to be the guardian of the eastern edges of this world. Originally from Persia, this winged quadruped with a lion's body and eagle's head quickly became part of the medieval bestiary, and would feature in many later narratives.