The Namban Screens and the Maps of the Relaciones Geográficas De Indias: Two Visual Representations of the Global Encounters in the Early Modern Europe

In the history of the circulation of knowledge certain objects may be considered as paradigmatic of the ways through which information about territories and people was produced. The namban screens and the maps of the Relaciones Geográficas de Indias – RGI, both produced in the second half of the sixteenth century, provide two visual representations of the encounters resulting from the Spanish and Portuguese largescale empires. These two sets of objects brought novelty in the forms of representation of space used, and reflected particular relationships established between Europeans and other cultures. The namban screens represent the nexus between Europe and the Orient; and the maps of the RGI the imperial territories of the Spanish Crown. Together they speak of a significant way of knowing and connecting the entire world. By associating the two instances, I argue that these visual and material objects are documents that allow for a clearer understanding of the early stages of European modernity since they both circulated within a network of data, visual representation, luxury, and power.