Venezuela, cum parte Australi Novae Andalusiae.

  • Translation

Article ID AMS1396

Title

Venezuela, cum parte Australi Novae Andalusiae.

Description

Map shows the whole of Venezuela in South America with two magnificent cartouches, two compass roses and three animal stafages in the country.

Year

ca. 1610

Artist

Blaeu (1571-1638)

Joan Guilliemus Blaeu was the eldest son of Willem Janszoon Blaeu (1571-1638), and was probably born in Alkmaar in the province of Noord-Holland in the final years of the 16th century. He was brought up in Amsterdam, and studied law at the University of Leiden before going into partnership with his father in the 1630s. Although his father Willem had cartographic interests, having studied under the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe and having manufactured globes and instruments, his primary business was as a printer. It was under the control of Joan that the Blaeu printing press achieved lasting fame by moving towards the printing of maps and expanding to become the largest printing press in Europe in the 17th century. By the 1660s the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (or Atlas Maior as it had became known by this time) had expanded to between 9 and 12 volumes, depending on the language. With over 3,000 text pages and approximately 600 maps, it was the most expensive book money could buy in the later 17th century. The translation of the text from Latin into Dutch, English, German, French, and Spanish for several volumes created enormous work for those involved in typography and letterpress activities. It is estimated that over 80 men must have been employed full-time in the Blaeu printing house in Bloemgracht, not including engravers who worked elsewhere, with over 15 printing presses running simultaneously, and in 1667 a second press was acquired at Gravenstraat. At the same time as producing the Atlas Maior, Blaeu was also publishing town plans of Italy, maps for globes, and other volumes. At its peak the Blaeu press managed to produce over 1 million impressions from 1,000 copper plates within four years.

Historical Description

In pre-Columbian times, Indian groups, nomadic hunters and gatherers as well as fishermen and farmers lived in Venezuela. Christopher Columbus reached the eastern coast of Venezuela on his third voyage in 1498 and landed at the mouth of the Orinoco River. It was the first time that he and his team had entered mainland America. On August 24, 1499, an expedition by Alonso de Ojeda and Amerigo Vespucci followed, which supposedly gave the country the name Venezuela (Little Venice) because of the frequent use of stilt houses. The first permanent settlement of the Spaniards called Nueva Cadiz was founded in 1522. From 1528 to 1545, the province of Venezuela was pledged by Charles V to the Welser family, who ran the Little Venice colony during this period. The current capital, Caracas, was founded in 1567, and in 1577 the Spanish crown appointed a governor to administer it.The colony was rather neglected by the Spaniards in the 16th and 17th centuries, since they concentrated on gold from other parts of America. The cultivation of cocoa, sugar, tobacco, coffee and cotton resulted in a large number of slaves being brought to Venezuela, which, after much of the native culture had been largely destroyed, influenced the culture in Venezuela. From 1797 to 1821 there were repeated attempts to detach New Granada, whose sub-region was Venezuela, from Spanish rule. In 1821 Simón Bolívar managed to bring the wars of independence to a victorious end in Venezuela.

Place of Publication Amsterdam
Dimensions (cm)37,5 x 48 cm
ConditionPerfect condition
Coloringoriginal colored
TechniqueCopper print

Reproduction:

102.00 €

( A reproduction can be ordered individually on request. )