ARTIST: Arent Roggeveen
PUBLISHER: Published by Arent Roggeveen for his pilot "Het Brandende Ween" or "The Burning Fen"
MEDIUM: Copper plate engraving
DATE: 1675
EDITION SIZE: 16 1/8 x 20" (410 x 509 mm) plus margins.
DESCRIPTION: Roggeveen was a land surveyor, mathematician, poet and teacher of navigation. Born in Delfshaven, he later moved to Middelburg where both the Dutch East and West India Companies were based. Over time he was employed by both companies as a teacher in the art of navigation. He also helped maintain their collections of hydrographic manuscripts and charts, including Spanish portulans of the West Indies. In the mid 1660's Roggeveen compiled a series large scale charts of the North American coast line, West Indies and later, West Africa. This work or "pilot" was titled "Het Brandende Veen" or The Burning Fen. This title is a pun on his name: ‘veen’ means ‘fen’ and a heap of burning fen represents a fire on the coast to guide or warn ships. Roggeveen arranged for Pieter Goos, one of the leading engravers and publishers maritime books of Amsterdam to publish the collection. The completed work was the first Dutch pilot that was focused on select areas of American coastline. Previously, all printed maps and charts that dealt with this coastline were on a much larger scale. The charts that contained within this work are very rare and are seldom seen on the market today. This is likely due to several reasons, first the publisher Peter Goos died in the first year of publishing, 1675. Roggeveen died in 1679. Goos widow eventually sold the rights to Jacob Robijn but upwards of five years passed. Also working sea charts & pilots are inherently rare due to the nature of their use aboard ships. The vast majority of them were either destroyed by use or destroyed intentionally when new updated versions were obtained. This a fine example of the first state. The chart is very rare, especially so with originally hand coloring. This chart is the first printed chart of the Island.
ADDITIONAL INFO:
CONDITION: A fine impression in excellent condition. Original hand coloring.
REFERENCE: Map Collectors Circle, issue 10, "Some early printed maps of Trinidad and Tobago." #1.
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