Antique Print-PORTUGUESE-COLONIAL-BATTLE-MOMBASA-Goeree-de Bry-Van der Aa-1706

Name: Antique Print-PORTUGUESE-COLONIAL-BATTLE-MOMBASA-Goeree-de Bry-Van der Aa-1706
SKU: PICTURA-01396
Availability: InStock

€125.00

‘GGG.1.’

– This print is an illustration from Tien-Jaarige Scheeps-Togten En Heldhaftige Krygs-Bedryven Te Water En Te Land, a Dutch edition of the history of Portuguese colonial expansion in the East Indies, originally published in Portuguese in 1552. The book details the military campaigns of Nuno da Cunha, Governor of Portuguese India, from 1528 to 1536. The accompanying text narrates a battle between Portuguese forces and local defenders, emphasizing the strategic and often brutal nature of colonial warfare. A scene from the Battle of Mombasa in 1528, a military engagement between Portuguese forces under the command of the Portuguese governor of India Nuno da Cunha and the Sultanate of Mombasa, which ultimately led to a Portuguese victory. In the foreground, European soldiers, clad in armor and wielding swords, engage in close combat with their adversaries. A wounded figure lies on the ground, while an officer directs his troops, illustrating the intensity of the encounter. In the background, a fortified city under siege reinforces the theme of conquest and expansion. This engraving exemplifies 17th- and 18th-century European perspectives on colonial history, often glorifying European dominance and military prowess.

In stock

SKU: PICTURA-01396 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 HISTORY, COLONIAL WARS, BATTLE, 16TH CENTURY, NUNO DA CUNHA, DUTCH EDITION, EARLY PRINTS, MILITARY, HISTORICAL ENGRAVINGS | 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.