Goa

1672

Later hand-coloured copper engraving on paper

Print Size: 11.25 x 13.75 in (28.5 x 35 cm)
Sheet Size: 11.75 x 14.5 in (29.8 x 36.5 cm)
With Mount: 18 x 20.75 in (45.6 x 52.5 cm)

A combined panoramic and bird’s-eye view plan of Goa, the main Portuguese trading post in India and the then capital of Portuguese India, shows the city at the beginning of the 17th century with many ships in the harbour with decorative insignia and an index of 43 important sites in a decorative cartouche.

This original engraving originates from the 1672 German edition of Baldaeus’ ‘Nauwkeurige beschrijving Malabar en Choromandel, derz. Aangrenzend rijken, en het machtige eiland Ceylon.’ (Description of the East Indian Countries of Malabar, Coromandel, Ceylon, etc.), printed in Amsterdam by Jacob van Velsen and published by Johannes Janssonius van Waesbergen en Johannes van Someren. Although it was influenced by Linschoten’s 1596, A Ilha e Cidade de Goa Metropolitana da India, Baldaeus’ work clearly stands on its own.

Philips Baelde or Philippus Baldaeus (baptized on 24 October 1632–1671)
Philips Baelde, also known as Father Philippus Baldaeus, was a Dutch minister who meticulously documented valuable information from ethnological, historical, geographical, and theological perspectives. He dedicated numerous years to the study of South India and Sri Lanka, formerly known as Dutch Ceylon. This city plan, crafted with precision and adorned with intricate engravings and vibrant colours, features a detailed key highlighting 43 locations, elegantly presented within a prominently positioned cartouche. His accounts were drawn from his own observations, informants (such as a baptized pundit), interpreters, and materials from Jesuit libraries in Ceylon and South India. These records remain an important resource in Dutch literature about South Asia due to their detailed and comprehensive nature. Baldaeus demonstrated remarkable linguistic skill, quoting in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, and Sanskrit. His groundbreaking work on the Tamil language was particularly notable.

This lot will be shipped unframed.

NON-EXPORTABLE

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