Bilder François Valentijn – Map of Part of the Spice Islands – Large Copperplate Engraving – 1726

Beskrivning

This large and finely detailed copperplate engraving depicts part of the Moluccas, also known as the Spice Islands, located in present-day eastern Indonesia. The map focuses on key islands such as Ambon, Seram, Buru, or possibly parts of the Banda Islands, which were of immense commercial and strategic importance to the Dutch East India Company (VOC) due to their role in the global spice trade—particularly for nutmeg, cloves, and mace.

Drawn from VOC records and firsthand observation, the map includes coastal outlines, ports, soundings, anchorages, settlements, and natural features such as mountains and rivers. Decorative elements, Dutch place names, and explanatory cartouches reflect both navigational function and colonial documentation. The chart was published in Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indiën (1724–1726), the monumental work of François Valentijn.

François Valentijn (1666–1727) was a Dutch minister, historian, and VOC official whose encyclopedic writings offer one of the most comprehensive early European accounts of Southeast Asia. His maps and engravings—based on both personal travel and VOC archives—remain among the most important visual records of Dutch colonial presence in the East Indies.

Artist or Maker: François Valentijn

Dimensions: 70 × 60 cm

Medium: Copperplate Engraving

Date: 1726

Condition Report:
This work is in good condition overall. There may be a few minor imperfections or fox or mottled marks to be expected with age. Please review the images carefully for condition details, and feel free to contact us with any questions or for a comprehensive condition report.