
Livre des merveilles du monde
ca. 1460
France, probably Angers
281 x 220 mm
MS M.461, fols. 75v–76r
Purchased by J. Pierpont Morgan (1837–1913) in 1911
Sri Lanka and Tuscany
While Sri Lanka, above—known as Taprobane in the Middle Ages—was often presented as a land of dragons, here it is depopulated of people or beasts, simply appearing as a fertile and inviting place. Tuscany, below, is characterized by healthful rivers and elaborate death rites.