No genuine portrait of Marco Polo exists. There is a medallion portrait dated 1761 on the wall of the Sala dello Scudo in the ducal palace. The oldest professed portrait is one in the gallery of Monsignor Badia at Rome, which is inscribed Marcus Polus venetus totius orbis et Indie peregrator Primus. It is a good picture, but of the 16th century. The Europeans at Canton have absurdly attached the name of Marco Polo to a figure in a Buddhist temple there containing a gallery of "Arhans" or Buddhist saints, and popularly known as the "temple of the five hundred gods." The Venetian municipality obtained a copy of this on the occasion of the geographical congress at Venice in 1881.
Polo was the first traveller to trace a route across the whole longitude of Asia, describing kingdoms which he had seen; the first to speak of the court at Peking; the first to reveal China in its wealth and vastness, and to tell of the nations on its borders; the first to tell more of Tibet than its name, to speak of Burma, Laos, Siam, Cochin-China, Japan, Java, Sumatra, etc. ; the Nico bar and Andaman Islands, Ceylon, India, but as a country seen and partially explored ; the first in mediaeval times to give any distinct account of the Empire of Abyssinia, and of the island of Sokotra, and to mention Zanzibar and Madagascar; whilst he carries us also to the remotely opposite region of Siberia and the Arctic shores, to speak of dog-sledges, white bears and reindeer riding Tunguses.
Within the traveller's own lifetime, we find the earliest ex amples of the practical and truly scientific coast-charts (Porto lani), based upon the experience of pilots, mariners, merchants etc. In two of the most famous of the 14th century Portolani, we trace Marco Polo's influence—in the Laurentian or Medicean Portolano of 1351 (at Florence), and in the Catalan Atlas of 1375 (now at Paris). Both represent a very advanced stage of mediaeval knowledge, a careful attempt to represent the known world on the basis of collected fact, and a disregard for theologi cal or pseudo-scientific theory; in the Catalan Atlas, as regards Central and Further Asia, and partially as regards India, Marco Polo's Book is the basis of the map. His names are often much perverted, and it is not always easy to understand the view that the compiler took of his itineraries. Still we have Cathay placed in the true position of China, as a great empire filling the south east of Asia. The trans-Gangetic peninsula is absent, but India proper is for the first time represented with a fair approximation to correct form and position. The map of Fra Mauro (1459) gives a much less accurate idea of Asia than the Carta catalana. Columbus possessed a copy of the Latin version of Polo's book made by Pipino, and on many pages of this there are manuscript notes in the admiral's handwriting, testifying to the influence of the work of the Venetian merchant upon the discoverer of the new world. As to the alleged introduction of important inven
tions into Europe by Polo—although the striking resemblance of European block-books to those of China seems clearly to indicate the derivation of the art from that country, there is no reason for ,connecting this introduction (any more than that of gunpowder or the mariner's compass) with the name of Marco. In the 14th c2ntury not only were missions of the Roman Church established in eastern China, but a regular overland trade was carried on between Italy and China. Many a traveller other than Marco Polo might have brought home the block-books, and some might have witnessed the process of making them. This is the less to be ascribed to Polo, because he so curiously omits to speak of the process of printing, when, in describing the block-printed paper money of China, his subject seems absolutely to challenge a description of the art.
The book indited by Rusticiano is in two parts. The first, or pro logue, as it is termed, is unfortunately the only part which consists of actual personal narrative. It relates the circumstances which led the two elder Polos to the khan's court, together with those of their second journey (when accompanied by Marco), and of the return to the west by the Indian seas and Persia. The second part consists of a series of chapters of unequal length and unsystematic structure, descriptive of the different states and provinces of Asia (certain African islands and regions included), with occasional notices of their sights and products, of curious manners and remarkable events, and especially regarding the Emperor Kublai, his court, wars and administration. A series of chap ters near the close treats of sundry wars that took place between various branches of the house of Jenghiz in the latter half of the 13th century. There is now no doubt that the original was written in French. A manuscript in rude and peculiar French, belonging to the National Library of Paris (Fonds Fr. 1116), which was printed by the Societe de geographie in 1824, is evidently either the original or a close transcript. It shows characteristics of the unrevised product of dicta tion which would necessarily have disappeared in a translation or revised copy. Eighty-five mss. of the book are known, and their texts exhibit considerable differences. For a discussion of these see the authorities quoted in the bibliography.