"Boavista", Montanus/Ogilby

Montanus' work was perhaps the greatest illustrated book on the New World produced in the seventeenth century. It contained over one hundred beautifully engraved plates, views, and maps of North and South America. The plates vividly depict forts, festivals, occupations, Dutch fleets, battles, religious rites, and customs of the native inhabitants. This important work was translated into German by Olivier Dapper, and into English by John Ogilby. Several of the plates were later acquired by Pierre Vander Aa.

This fine view depicts the Dutch settlement in Boa Vista, located on the western bank of the River Branco. Today Boa Vista is the capital of the Brazilian state of Roraima. A large house on the water is the focal point of the scene, on which is inscribed Anno 1643. A key at top left identifies numerous locations.

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Condition: A

A crisp impression on a sheet with a Strasbourg Lily watermark. There is faint offsetting and a tiny rust spot in the engraved image.