Descripción
The first town plan of anywhere in the present-day United States Folio (310 by 200mm), first French edition second issue (title page canncelled, with Paris imprint added to that of Amsterdam) engraved title with vignettes and map, [8], 103, [1, blank], [6], 107-254 pp., head- and tail-pieces, with decorated initials; 27 engraved plates, pictorial title page, 17 maps and charts (16 double-page, 1 folded), 4 city views, 5 text engravings (scenes from Le Maire voyage), portrait of Le Maire not present as usual for the French edition, seventeenth century vellum. The first French edition of Herrera'a rare work here extra-illustrated with Boazio's exceedingly rare views of Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic); Santiago (Cape Verde Islands); Cartagena (Columbia); and San Augustine (Florida) - first known engraving of any locality in the present-day United States. The importance of this French edition of Herrera's 'Description des Indes Occidentales', and the other 1622 editions in Latin and Dutch, lies in its engraved pictorial title page with the first map to delineate California as an Island and in the inclusion of the first comprehensive account of Jacob Le Maire's voyage. The 14 maps in the Herrera's section are almost identical to those in the original 1601 'Descripcion', save for some resizing and changes in a few details. The most interesting are probably the 'Description de las Yndias Occidentalis', which depicts the Papal line of demarcation dividing the world between Spain and Portugal, and the 'Description de las Indias del Poniente', which depicts a large part of the Pacific with the Moluccas, the Philippines and the Ladrones accurately positioned. Le Maire and Cornelis Schouten, his second in command, left Texel in June 1615 on a mission to find a new route to reach the Spices Islands which would break the trade monopoly of the Dutch East India Company (which had been grant a monopoly trade through the Strait of Magellan). The pair succeeded to break the monopoly by rounding south America south of the Straits of Magellan. The new cape was name Horn (or Hoorn) after Shouten's ship which had been lost due to fire at the Patagonian port Desire. In doing so they also dispelled the myth of a great southern continent joined to South America. They would continue to sail across the Pacific, discovering numerous islands along the way, and sailing up the northern coast of New Guinea. By September 1616 Le Maire reached Ternate in the Moluccas, the headquarters of the Dutch East India Company. Initially well received, they were soon accused of having encroached on the rights of the Company and were tried, found guilty and shipped home on Spilbergen's ship which was completing its own trip around the world. Le Maire died on the return voyage and his journals were taken by the Company. Schouten and Spibergen published an abreviated version of these journal; and it was not until 1622, after a long trial, that Isaac Le Maire was able to regain custody of his son's journals and to publish them in full. The four additional city views (Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic; Santiago in the Cape Verde Islands; Cartagena in Columbia; and San Augustine, Florida) were drawn, and possibly engraved, by the Italian artist Baptista Boazio. The Boazio views are "probably the most interesting and important published graphic work pertaining to Drake and his career" Kraus. They are also the first representations of those four cities. Indeed, the view of St Augustine is the first known engraving of any locality in the present-day United States. Their history is uncertain. There is no indication that Boazio participated to the voyage but he must have obtained a version of these views from someone who did: "It was undoubtedly in the course of the return voyage that the author of this view-plan [of St. Augustine] was able to copy the figure of the Dorado fish [and of the other creatures decorating the plans] from John White's original drawings" Kraus. N° de ref. del artículo 15084
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