Robert Dudley, styled Earl of Warwick

Robert Dudley (7 August, 1574 Sheen Palace, Surrey – 6 September, 1649 Florence) was the son of Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester and the author of Dell'Arcano del Mare.

Dell'Arcano del Mare (Secrets of the Sea)

Dudley wrote Dell'Arcano del Mare, the first sea atlas to cover the whole world.

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His major accomplishment and his masterwork Dell'Arcano del Mare (Secrets of the Sea), is a global atlas including a comprehensive treatise on navigation and shipwightry, and which has become renowned as the first atlas of sea charts of the world.

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At least six known volumes comprise the Dell' Arcano del Mare and survive to illustrate Dudley's knowledge of navigation, shipbuilding and astronomy, and it includes one hundred and thirty original maps.

Related Topics:
Navigation - Shipbuilding - Astronomy

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Dudley's maps are all of his own invention and were, unusually for the period, not copied from existing maps. Originally published in the local Italian, at Florence in 1645 the Dell' Arcano del Mare represents a collection of all the naval knowledge then extent, for the period. Also remarkable for its inclusion in the Atlas is the proposal for the construction of a fleet of five rates described as such and designed by Dudley.

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Dell' Arcano del Mare was reprinted in Florence, 1661 without the charts of the first edition.

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Sir Robert Dudley's Dell'Arcano del Mare is the earliest printed sea chart to illustrate the complete known world, including the east coast of North America. Made by the Englishman Sir Robert Dudley (then resident in Italy), it is generally considered to be the most distinguished of its time.

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The distinctive character of Dudley's charts was influenced by the style of Italian baroque contributed by Antonio Francesco Lucini. Later map-makers chose not to copy Dudley's style and so it became a unique and rare relic in the history of cartography. Lucini recorded that he had spent 12 years, and 5000 pounds in copper to produce the plates.

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