1630 Hanc Tabulam continens Laetam Pharnambuci victoriam...
Hanc Tabulam continens Laetam Pharnambuci victoriam, Amplissimis prudentissimis consultissimisque Dominis De Societatis Indiae occidentalis Curatoribus…
By: Nicolaus Ioannis Piscator aka Claes Janszoon Visscher
Date: 1630 (circa) Amsterdam
Dimensions: 14.2 x 18.2 inches (36.1 x 46.23 cm)
This captivating rare map depicts a battle which took place on 14 February 1630 at the port of Olinda, Brazil, during the Dutch-Portuguese War. On that day Hendrick Corneliszoon Lonck, with a fleet of 52 ships of the Dutch West India Company captured the Portuguese port of Olinda on the coast of Brazil. Sugar was in high demand on the international market during the 16th and 17th centuries and Olinda was a centre of production, thus was a target during the war.
The map is a beautiful and dramatic representation of this battle, of the surrounding countryside and of the waters of the port itself filled with Dutch ships. At the time of the battle, the city was the centre of the lucrative sugar trade. This action was followed by the capture of the state of Pernambuco, another battle scene which was part of the Dutch-Portuguese War (often called the Sugar War) whereby the Dutch acquired the sugar trade from the Portuguese in this region. The result of the war was that Portugal won in South America (Dutch Brazil) and Africa with the recapture of Angola, and the Dutch were the victors in the Far East and South Asia.
Located in the coastal plain of Brazil’s Nordeste region, Olinda spreads over a series of hills near the isthmus formed by the Beberibe River. Surrounded by sugar fields, it is about 5 km. from the port city of Recife. The oldest part of the city sits on a hill which drops off precipitously on its northernmost side, making it more easily defendable. After its foundation in 1535 by the Portuguese explorer Duarte Coelho, Olinda enjoyed rapid prosperity thanks to the sugar trade.
Sugar was in high demand on the international market during the 16th and 17th centuries. At the end of the 16th century, when the city was at the peak of its participation in that market, several religious orders, including the Jesuits, settled in Olinda and a number of churches and convents were built.
Though sacked by the Dutch West Indies Company in 1631, with the return of the Portuguese in 1654, Olinda resumed its role as seat of the regional government and today is known as a picturesque centre for the arts.
An inset map with a cartouche positioned on the representation of a scroll depicts the coastline for quite some distance, extending on either side of Olinda. A second cartouche shows an indigenous local holding the arms of the West Indies Company, along with text in Latin dedicaated to Admiral Hendrick Corneliszoon Lonck, the first Dutch Sea Captain to reach the New World (1606) and the commanding officer in the Dutch West Indies Company's successful raids on the Portuguese held coast of Brazil.
Condition: This map is in A condition with lovely original hand colouring. A separation in the right border has been repaired with archival material on the verso
Inventory #11746
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