Pierre Desceliers, World Map, 1550, 178 x 219cm, manuscript on vellum: This compendious hand-painted map of the world was produced in Dieppe for the King of France, and celebrates the recent discoveries of Jacques Cartier on the north-east coast of America. But it is more than simply a map of French glory for its ruler: it is a visual encyclopaedia of the legends, natural history and ethnography of the world. With it, the King could learn and display his worldly knowledge. The map was meant to be viewed on a table, and so the information to the top of the map appears upside-down to the modern viewer. It is the most extravagant of all geographical indexesPhotograph: The British Library