First edition of this suptuous work, the most important work on the history of the Dutch in Brazil, and one of the finest books published in the Dutch Republic in the 17th-century. Produced by the world-famous House of Blaeu, this folio stands as the definitive visual and textual record of the short but influential Dutch presence in Brazil. The folio edition is especially prized and far scarcer than the later and smaller octavo edition (1660). The present work is of exceptional quality, as all 56 engravings are fully hand-coloured, of which 50 are heightened with gold. The engraved frontispiece and the full-page engraved portrait are likewise heightened with gold.
The work was commissioned by Johan Maurits van Nassau-Siegen (1604-1679), Governor-General of Dutch Brazil from 1637 to 1644, who provided a substantial part of the documentation. Caspar Barlaeus (1584-1648), one of the leading Dutch Humanists of his age, supplemented this material with accounts gathered from individuals who had lived and worked in Brazil. The result is a richly erudite and carefully balanced history, combining political and military narrative with detailed descriptions of geography, climate, flora and fauna, economy, and population.
The cartography and views are of exceptional importance. The maps relating to Brazil are based on actual surveys by figures such as Georg Markgraf (1610-1644), the renowned astronomer and naturalist, and Elias Herckmans (1596-1644), among others. The work contains 56 finely engraved double-page maps, plans and views on 58 sheets, including 24 double-page maps of Brazil, a map of Chile, and a large series of engraved views depicting Brazilian ports, cities, fortifications, landscapes and naval battles. Two of the views, depicting Recife and São Paulo de Loanda on the West African coast, are each printed on two sheets.
The plates are after drawings made on the spot by the great Dutch painter Frans Post (1612-1680), who accompanied Johan Maurits to Pernambuco. Many are signed and dated in the plate, most notably "1645". These views, often enlivened with scenes of daily life, sugar plantations, shipping and coastal activity, formed the principal European visual reference for the Brazilian landscape for more than a century and a half.
Beyond its extraordinary plates, the book possesses inestimable documentary value. Barlaeus presents Johan Maurits administration as a carefully governed colony, balancing military authority with economic recovery, regulated trade, and relative tolerance toward indigenous populations. His history concludes with a panegyric to the governor, embodying Barlaeus ideal of the "mercator sapiens", the wise merchant who unites commerce, learning and moral responsibility.
With a small unidentified owner's stamp on the title page, the inner gutter is strengthened, the inner gutter is slightly foxed and browned throughout, pp. 141-144 and 221-224 have strengthened outer margins, the work is slightly browned and shows staining throughout. Otherwise in good condition. Borba de Moraes, pp. 78-79; JCB II, p. 350; Muller, America 185; Rodrigues 344; Sabin 3408; Sousa-Leão, Frans Post 1612-1680 (Amsterdam 1973); STCN 852284292; USTC 1031963.