“Nieuwe Kaart van Caap der Goede Hoop” (new map of the Cape of Good Hope) with a detailed inset “Kaart van de Caap der Goede Hoop waar in aangetoond werden de voornaamste Plaatzen, met de Naamen van der zelver besitters” (map of the Cape of Good Hope where the main places are shown, along with the names of their respective owners) made by François Valentijn. Published in Dordrecht 1724-1726 by Joannes van Braam and Gerard onder de Linden as part of Valentijn’s “Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indien, vervattende Een naaukeurige en uitvoerige verhandelinge van Nederlands mogentheyd in die gewesten, benevens eene wydluftige beschryvige der Moluccos … en alle de Eylanden Onder dezelve landbestieringen behoorende; English comptoir op Suratte, en de levens der Groote Mogols …” [Old and New East Indies, containing a precise and comprehensive treatise on Dutch power in those regions, along with a detailed description of the Moluccas … and all the islands under their governance; the English trading post at Surat, and the lives of the Great Mughals.] Coloured by a later hand. Size: 56.7 x 44.7 cm.
François Valentijn was a minister, naturalist, and writer best known for his Old and New East Indies, a history of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and their activities in the East Indies. Valentijn’s maps were among the most accurate and large-scale productions on the region published up to that time. As an officer, Valentijn had access to VOC documents, which he compiled into an exceptional collection of maps. Valentijn’s work was so superior to earlier maps that its publication, given the strict confidentiality policy of the VOC, especially regarding cartographic material, is surprising.
The map covers the area from the Western Cape and the Cape of Good Hope to just beyond Algoa Bay in the east. The inhabited areas are clearly engraved, along with mountains and rivers, and the names of tribes and villages. The inset map of Cape Town and False Bay (Vaalsbaai) provides a wealth of information, including the names and locations of individual farmers. Roads and topography are also indicated.
This influential map was repeatedly used as a model by other cartographers throughout the 18th century.
Price: Euro 1.250,-
