Giacomo Gastaldi was born
in Villafranca in Piemonte. He lived and worked in Venice from 1539 to
his death in October 1566 and became the most influential cartographer
on the Italian peninsula,
Giacomo Gastaldi was born
in Villafranca in Piemonte. He lived and worked in Venice from 1539 to
his death in October 1566 and became the most influential cartographer
on the Italian peninsula, culminating in his nomination as
Cosmographer to the Republic of Venice. One hundred nine cartographic
publications by Gastaldi have been traced. Among his more important
works is the large map of Africa on eight sheets published in 1564.
The stamp from Bophuthatswana shows the entire continent of Africa.
sheet from St. Helena shows the portion of the map off the coast of
southern Africa with many fish and the island of St. Helena in the
lower right hand quadrant.
The map on the Bermuda
stamp is based on the map, Terra Neuva, published in Giacomo
Gastaldi's edition of Ptoloemy's Geographia, 1548. The island
of Bermuda appears in the lower left corner of the stamp under the "N"