Antonio Floriano
Back to people overviewAntonio Floriano was an Italian painter, architect, and cartographer.
In 1545, he was commissioned by the City Councillors of Udine to paint religious scenes on the walls of their council chamber. In 1554, Floriano became a member of the Council of the Commune. The following year he published his famous ‘bicycle-spoke’ world map, financed by the Doge of Venice. Drawing on Gerard Mercator’s double-cordiform precedent of 1538, Floriano divided the world into two hemispheres made up of 36 globe gores.
Unlike many of his contemporaries, Floriano presented America as two distinct continents. The version in the Sunderland Collection is presumed to be a proof print, as it is lacking a title, inscription, or dedication.
