Rare View of Olinda Pernambuco Brazil and Dutch Fleet, 1671
€ 1 150
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
1671
Sheet size
38.2 × 48.6 cm (15.0 × 19.1 in)
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-13384-14
What the condition grades mean
Excellent
Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
Very good
Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
Good
Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
Fair
Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.
Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.
Condition
Wear consistent with age and use. Good antique condition with age-related toning, occasional spotting and handling marks. Original central vertical fold as issued. The sheet retains generous margins with irregular deckled edges and minor age-related imperfections.
About this sheet
Olinda in Pernambuco, Brazil, with a Dutch fleet in the foreground, an original copper engraving dated 1671 and made from the plates for Arnoldus Montanus' work on the Americas. The French title, "Olinda de Phernambuco, Capitale de la Capitainerie de Pernambouc dans l'Amerique Meridionale", is lettered across the top, and a numbered key of about a dozen entries at the upper left identifies the buildings and forts. The sheet has a central fold and wide margins.
The view looks over the water toward the low, wooded height of Olinda on the right, with a church tower rising among its buildings. Across the horizon a dense line of Dutch ships and smaller craft lies off the coast, with a fort, labeled on the plate, at the center of the waterfront. In the foreground small boats sit on the water, and two large warships with flags dominate the lower right.
The Dutch West India Company captured Olinda and nearby Recife in 1630, and held northeastern Brazil until 1654. The old description places this plate in John Ogilby's English America of 1671, but the French lettering suggests an issue from the Dutch Montanus plates.
