Fine was a French polymath, accomplished in mathematics, astronomy, fortification strategy, graphic design and cartography. In 1531, he was appointed to the chair of mathematics at the Collège Royal, founded by Francis I of France. Fine’s first published map, ‘Nova Totius Galliae Descriptio’ (1525), is the first printed map of France, but he is best known for his 

 on a polar projection, frequently used by other cartographers, such as 

. Fine’s maps are particularly notable for his attempts to reconcile the discoveries in the New World with old medieval legends about the East.