Nieuw Lissabatta / Rarackit / Keffing / Roemakay / Kamarien / Caybobo
Amsterdam: Francois Valentijn, 1726.
Chart. Uncolored engraving. Image measures 13 1/4" x 25"
This rare chart depicts the six coastlines of Ambon Island, part of the Lease Islands within the Malaku group in Indonesia, also known to colonialists as the Spice Islands. Features six views of Dutch trading posts: Nieuw Lssabatta, Rarakit, Keffing, Roemakay, Kamarien, and Caybobo. The lush mountainous terrain is beautifully depicted in the background, with several European sailboats and local kora-kora canoes in the foreground. The Spice Islands, covered largely in mountains and forests, were highly valued by the Dutch as a center for the trade in nutmeg, mace and cloves that were originally found only there. Engraved by Frederick Ottens. In very good condtion, with some creasing around original vertical fold lines, and minor scattered foxing.
Francois Valentijn (1666-1727) was a Dutch minister and naturalist who worked as a missionary in India. He is best known for his "Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indien," a monumental history and description of the East Indies and its surrounding lands that remains a significant primary source today. This map is a fascinating document of Dutch involvement in the region.
Illustrator: OTTENS, Frederick
Binding: Unbound
Language: English
Price: $200.00
Item #328619