"Arx Carolina", Montanus, Arnoldus

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 is a lively view of Fort Caroline in present-day Jacksonville, Florida. The French Huguenots under Ribault and Lordonniere built this fort in their second attempt to establish a colony on the Atlantic coast. Erected on the River May (St. Johns River) in 1564, the fort lasted only a year before being destroyed by the Spanish, ending the French colonial ambitions in the region. The triangular shaped fort is shown with its gun emplacements and protective moat. The surrounding countryside is filled with cattle, Indians and colonists going about their daily chores and the harbor is filled with boats and ships.

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Condition: A

Sharp impression on a watermarked sheet with very faint foxing and an archivally repaired centerfold separation in the bottom blank margin.