Antique Print of Banda Neira – Valentijn (c.1726)

Antique hand-coloured print titled ‘

Het Eyland Neira, en het Casteel Nassau mitsgaders Belgica ‘.

Beautiful view of Banda Neira with Fort Nassau, Indonesia. Fort Nassau was the first Dutch fort built on Banda Neira Island, the main island of the Banda Islands, part of Maluku in Indonesia, completed in 1609. Its purpose was to control the trade in nutmeg, which at that time was only grown in the Banda Islands. This print originates from ‘

Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indiën ‘ by F. Valentijn, published in between 1724-1726.

Francois Valentijn (1666–1727) was a minister, naturalist and writer.  He is best known for his

Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indien (“Old and New East-India”), a book about the history of the Dutch East India Company and the countries of the Far East.

Condition: Good, only brown spot on the top side

Overall size: 620 mm x 340 mm