Sint Eustatius with Oranjestad – J. Ottaviani after Niccola Matraini, 1777

RARE VIEW OF ORANJESTAD, SINT EUSTATIUS “Veduta di S. Eustachio” copper engraving made by J. Ottaviani after the design of…

RARE VIEW OF ORANJESTAD, SINT EUSTATIUS

“Veduta di S. Eustachio” copper engraving made by J. Ottaviani after the design of Niccola Matraini for the “Gazzettiere Americano contenente un distinto ragguaglio di tutte le parti del Nuovo Mondo…” (American gazette containing a detailed account of all parts of the New World…), published in 1777. Coloured by a later hand. Size: 20.3 x 35.1 cm.

On November 16, 1776, Sint Eustatius was the first to support the Americans in their fight for freedom against the United Kingdom and saluted them with roaring cannon shots from Fort Oranje. This marked the beginning of a constant flow of ships, initially for the delivery of weapons and later as a transit port and resting place. The capital, Oranjestad, prominently depicted here, was divided into an upper and a lower town, becoming a profitable and bustling free port of the Dutch West India Company where the most luxurious goods were traded and stored tax-free, a highly lucrative byudiness from which it gained its name ‘The Golden Rock.’

As the 18th century drew to a close, Sint Eustatius gradually lost its significance as a trading center, leading most merchants and plantation owners to leave their homes and warehouses. The population declined from 30,000 in its glory days to 3,100 at present.

Price: Euro 850,-