410 West-Indianischer Historien Ander Theil. Beschreibung der Insul Borneo.

Title

410 West-Indianischer Historien Ander Theil. Beschreibung der Insul Borneo.

Illustration of the important map of Bornea based on a map by Olivier van Noort (1558-1627).

ca. 1633

Artist

Bry, de - Merian (1528-1598)

In 1631, Matthäus Merian and Johann Ludwig Gottfried published Historia Antipodum, a heavily abridged, single-volume version of Theodor De Bry’s 14-part America series. After De Bry’s death, his sons continued the project. Merian, a skilled engraver, later married De Bry’s daughter and collaborated with Gottfried. The Historia Antipodum reorganized numerous travel accounts into three chapters covering nature, exploration, and recent colonial developments. Merian and Gottfried significantly reworked the content, merging reports and integrating illustrations into the text. Their depiction of the natural world and Indigenous cultures—drawing in part on José de Acosta’s writings—was particularly influential. The book stands as one of the most ambitious works of early modern travel literature.

Historical Description

From the 15th to the 17th century, parts of Borneo were ruled by the Malay Sultanate of Brunei. Then the northern part of the island was controlled by the Malay Sultanate of Sulu (1473-1899), later the North Borneo Chartered Company gained power. The areas that belonged to the Sultanate of Brunei came under the rule of the British Brooke dynasty as Sarawak.In the early 19th century, British and Dutch colonists made an agreement according to which they exchanged trading ports for one another. The eastern part of Borneo became a Dutch colony, the western part came under British rule. China then established trade with Borneo, sometimes deep inland.