Name: Antique Print-DA-CUNHA-BATTLE-SIEGE-DIU-INDIAN-SACRIFICE-Goeree-Van der Aa-1706
SKU: PICTURA-01398
Availability: InStock

Antique Print-DA-CUNHA-BATTLE-SIEGE-DIU-INDIAN-SACRIFICE-Goeree-Van der Aa-1706

€95.00

‘GGG.3.’

– A dramatic scene depicting a massacre during the Portuguese military campaigns in the East Indies on 1531. In 1531, the Portuguese governor of India Nuno da Cunha assembled a large armada of up to 400 ships and 30,000 men to capture the island of Diu. The central focus is a large pyre where numerous captives or sacrficial offers, mostly unclothed, are being burned alive. A figure, likely an Indian noble or ruler of the island Diu, stands atop the flames, seemingly overseeing the execution. Surrounding the fire, warriors and spectators watch, some gesturing or pointing. The background features a fortified city, and Portguese ships on the horizon. The accompanying text describes the conflict between the Portuguese forces under Nuno da Cunha and local Indian rulers over Diu, emphasizing the violent reprisals taken by both sides. This engraving, intended for a European audience, portrays the perceived barbarity of local rulers and justification for its conquest of Diu.

In stock

SKU: PICTURA-01398 Categories: Asia, History Tag: Historical

Description

Medium: Engraving on hand-laid (verge) paper.

Sheet size: 22 x 18 cm (8.66 x 7.09 inch). Image size: 17.5 x 13 cm. (6.89 x 5.12 inch).

Condition: good, given age. Light foxing, creasing and soiling. Original vertical fold as issued. Additional vertical fold lines. General age-related toning and/or occasional minor defects from handling. Please study scan carefully.

PORTUGUESE CONQUEST, NUNO DA CUNHA, INDIAN RULERS, COLONIAL WARFARE, 16TH-CENTURY BATTLES, MILITARY HISTORY, EXECUTIONS, DUTCH BOOK ILLUSTRATION, EAST INDIES, NAVAL HISTORY | PCO-C50-20

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

From: ‘Tien-Jaarige Scheeps-Togten En Heldhaftige Krygs-Bedryven Te Water En Te Land, Door Nuno Da Cunha, Als Gouverneur Gedaan Na En in Oost-Indien; In’t Jaar 1528 En Vervolgens.’ First Dutch edition of this history of Portuguese colonial military campaigns. Volume one covers the events from 1528 to 1536. Published in 1706 by Pieter van der Aa in Leiden. Pieter van der Aa (1659-1733) was a Dutch publisher best known for preparing maps and atlases, though he also printed pirated editions of foreign bestsellers and illustrated volumes. He also printed many maps that were often out of print, which he reissued.

Biography engraver: Jan Goeree (1670-1731) was a Dutch engraver, draughtsman, and author, mainly active in Amsterdam. He was a pupil of Gerard de Lairesse and created detailed historical engravings.

Biography artist: Theodor de Bry (also Theodorus de Bry) (1528-1598) was an engraver, goldsmith, editor and publisher, famous for his depictions of early European expeditions to the Americas. The Spanish Inquisition forced de Bry, a Protestant, to flee his native, Spanish-controlled Southern Netherlands. He moved around Europe, starting from his birth on the city of Liege in the Prince-Bishopric of Liege, then to Strasbourg, Antwerp, London and Frankfurt, where he settled.