One of the new art forms greatest exponents was Battista Agnese. To reflect their new status, these portolan charts are often astonishingly beautiful artifacts, embellished in gold and silver, and rich in both ornament and detail. It is at this time that we see the emergence of the portolan as a work of art to be admired and treasured in one’s library. The form changed little over the next 200 years, however, with the emergence of the printed chart in the late 15th century, the portolan began to lose its function as a navigational tool. The early charts are relatively plain and functional, everyday tools for mariners that were used in conjunction with a portolano or pilot book, containing written sailing directions and information about coastal hazards, ports and anchorages. The oldest surviving portolan chart, made around 1285, is the Carta Pisana (Pisan Chart) named after Pisa where it was discovered.
