Oronce Fine
Back to people overviewFine 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 double-cordiform world map on a polar projection, frequently used by other cartographers, such as Gerard Mercator. Fine’s maps are particularly notable for his attempts to reconcile the discoveries in the New World with old medieval legends about the East.
