Jacopo Russo

Jacopo Russo was a Sicilian Renaissance mapmaker. His portolan maps were highly illustrated, often depicting local cities and rulers.^[1]

He authored a 1520 portolan, made in Messina, incorporating such illustrated map.^[1] He also created a Mansa Musa Map circa 1525, a Nautical chart of the Mediterranean now in The British Library (Add. MS 31318B).^[2] This map was created for Mansa Musa, the ruler of Mali, then one of the most powerful Muslim kingdoms of Saharan Africa.^[2] This map is well in the tradition of Italian portolan map, but is remarkable for the considerable weight it gives to northern Africa.^[3]

Two of his maps dated 1564 and 1588 from the Biblioteca Trivulziana in Milan were lost in the bombing raids of the Second World War.^[4]

• 
  Detail of Hungary and the Balkans, ca. 1528, by Jacopo Russo of Messina, Sicily.^[5]
• 
  "Rex Tunisi" (detail) Jacopo Russo, Portolan, 1520, parchment, 105.5 × 67 cm. Archivio di Stato di Firenze, Nautiche Map 12.^[1]
• 
  The Mansa Musa Map, c. 1525, Nautical chart of the Mediterranean by The British Library Board, Add. MS 31318B, vellum.^[2]
• 
  "Sultan of Egypt", possibly Hadim Suleiman Pasha, Mansa Musa Map, c. 1525