Insula s. Laurentii, vulgo Madagascar.

  • Translation

Article ID AF0546

Title

Insula s. Laurentii, vulgo Madagascar.

Description

Map shows the whole of Madagascar, the island of La Réunion, the coast of Mozambique, two wind roses, four sailing ships and a title cartouche.

Year

ca. 1686

Artist

Dapper/Waasberger (1635-1689)

Olfert Dapper was a Dutch physician and writer. He wrote books about world history and geography, although he never travelled outside the Netherlands. In 1663 wrote a book on the history of Amsterdam. His Description of Africa (1668) is a key text for African studies. His book "is one of the most authoritative 17th century accounts on Africa published in German. Translations appeared in English, French, and German. Dapper never traveled to Africa but used reports by Jesuit missionaries and other (Dutch) explorers. Within a few years he published about China, India, Persia, Georgia, and Arabia. His books became well known in his own time. The fine plates include views of Algiers, Benin, Cairo, Cape Town, La Valetta, Marrakech, St. Helena, Tangier, Tripoli, Tunis, as well as, animals and plants.

Historical Description

Madagascar- officially the Republic of Madagascar , and previously known as the Malagasy Republic, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of East Africa. Madagascar was an important transoceanic trading hub connecting ports of the Indian Ocean in the early centuries following human settlement. The written history of Madagascar began with the Arabs, who established trading posts along the northwest coast by at least the 10th century. From about 1774 to 1824, Madagascar gained prominence among pirates and European traders, particularly those involved in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Many European sailors were shipwrecked on the coasts of the island, among them Robert Drury, whose journal is one of the few written depictions of life in southern Madagascar during the 18th century. The wealth generated by maritime trade spurred the rise of organized kingdoms on the island, some of which had grown quite powerful by the 17th century. Among these were the Betsimisaraka alliance of the eastern coast and the Sakalava chiefdoms of Menabe and Boina on the west coast. The Kingdom of Imerina, located in the central highlands with its capital at the royal palace of Antananarivo, emerged at around the same time under the leadership of King Andriamanelo.

Place of Publication Amsterdam
Dimensions (cm)28 x 36 cm
ConditionPerfect condition
Coloringoriginal colored
TechniqueCopper print

Reproduction:

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