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A new passage to the Pacific and state-sponsored piracy
SPILBERGEN, Joris van.Speculum Orientalis Occidentalisque Indiae Navigationum; quarum una Georgii à Spilbergen classis cum potestate Praefecti, altera Iacobi le Maire auspiciis imperioque directa, annis 1614, 15, 16, 17, 18. Exhibens novi in mare Australe transitus, incognitarumque hactenus terrarum ac gentium inventionem: praelis aliquot terra marique commissa, expugnationesque urbium: una cum duabus novis utriusque Indiae historiis, catalogo munitionum Hollandicarum ...      Leiden, Nicolaus van Geelkercken for Jodocus Hondius, 1619. Oblong 4to (18.3 x 24 cm). Contemporary blind stamped pigskin over boards, spine with raised bands, marbled edges. Large allegorical engraving on title, with 25 numbered engraved maps and views: 2 large folding maps (one of the world and the one of the East Indian archipelago), one folding, one double-page and 18 full-page plates with several insets, etc. 175 pp., lacking blank leaf (P4), which divides the two narratives but was mistakenly included as pp.119-20 in the continuous pagination. Scarce, first Latin edition of one of the bestsellers of illustrated 17th-century travel literature describing one of the most famous early voyages around the world by Joris van Spilbergen, the veteran East Indies sailor-turned-into-pirate, undertaken from 1614 till 1618. At the end is added a short survey of one of the most important early voyages around the world by Schouten and Le Maire, from the years 1615-17, under the title Navigationes Australes, which reports Le Maire's discovery of Tierra del Fuego, an alternative route to the Pacific. The work is also of interest for the 17th-century Dutch presence in Brazil (see below). Rich in ethnographic detail, the numerous illustrations in the Speculum Orientalis include images of oversized penguins, llamas, and an Andean condor with a nine-foot wing span. Naval battles, beleaguered Spanish settlements, and newly discovered islands are also depicted in detail, making the work a valuable compendium of adventure on the high seas during the Age of Discovery. The maps and plates depicting the new discoveries are of prime interest, especially the new map of the world, the map of the Straits of Magellan, the map of the Straits of Manilles, and the large map of the Malayan archipelago with an inset-map of the Straits of Boeton. In 1614 the VOC commissioned Spilbergen to sail to the Moluccas with nearly 700 men. Despite the ostensible commercial nature of his expedition, Spilbergen's six vessels were heavily armed, anticipating encounters with silver-laden Spanish vessels. Spilbergen spent two years calling at various Spanish and Portuguese ports along both coasts of South America, failing to capture any great amounts of silver or silk from Manila, but burning several settlements and emerging triumphant from a naval skirmish just south of Lima. By contrast, Le Maire's less mercenary expedition resulted in important discoveries; his exploration of Tierra del Fuego and the Tuamotou Archipelago called into doubt the existence of a massive southern continent, providing a catalyst for Tasman's discovery of New Zealand and Australia. The two expeditions crossed paths in the Dutch East Indies in 1616. This work is remarkable as an early document on Dutch navigation to the Brazilian coasts. Its great value lies in Spilbergen's detailed account of the stay in the Ilha Grande, from October 1614 to January 1615, and in São Vicente in 1615. Plate 2, depicting the disordered landing of Dutch vessels in São Vicente, clearly documents the way of life of the indigenous peoples under Portuguese occupancy. Colonial religious structures appear alongside typical Native American hammocks, and traditional Brazilian costumes and methods of animal husbandry are evident. This illustration with its explanatory text is particularly important, as the 17th-century ethnographic documents about the future São Paulo are very rare. The Speculum Orientalis was originally published in Dutch the same year as this Latin edition, with identical plates. In the Latin edition the text is only slightly shortened. The present Latin translation was used, but still more abridged, for De Bry's Frankfurt edition of 1620 in German. A French translation was published in 1621 (Amsterdam). The work was not translated into English until the 1906 Hakluyt Society edition (with the title, The East and West Indian mirror). Some minor staining to the binding, rebacked; occasional browning throughout, three leaves of first signature including title remargined (not affecting text), repaired worm track through seven plates and four leaves of text, touching printed surface on three plates. Good copy of the scarce, first Latin edition of a description of the most famous early voyages around the world by Joris van Spilbergen, and Schouten and Le Maire.
Blair-Robertson XV, pp. 328-30; Borba de Moraes, p. 826-7; European Americana 619/133; JCB II:143; W. Klooster, The Dutch in the Americas 1600-1800, cat. 24, p.12; Lach, Asia in the making of Europe III, pp. 445-8; Landwehr, VOC, 361; LeClerc 1994; Muller, America, 1969; Rodrigues 2288; Sabin 89450; Schilder, Australia unveiled, Ch. V, pp. 32-7; Tiele, Bibl. 1029; Tiele, Mém., pp. 65-6.
Related Subjects: Australia & New Zealand Brazil Circumnavigation Discovery & Exploration East Indies VOC West Indies Add to Shopping cart |
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All items are offered subject to prior sale. Prices are nett and in (€) EURO. VAT/BTW, postage, and insurance are not included.
Free shipping for orders over € 2,500. EU customers: if applicable, please quote your VAT number when placing orders.
Preferred mode of payment: by credit card through our secure online payment service, which is facilitated by Ogone. If you wish to make other arrangements, please contact us. Terms of sale
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