| Method | Copper engraved |
| Artist | Olfert Dapper |
| Published | [Jacob van Meurs, Amsterdam, 1670] |
| Dimensions | 216 x 293 mm |
| Notes |
A view of the infamous pirate port of Salé on the Atlantic Coast, just north of modern-day Rabat, from the German edition of Dapper's Naukeurige Beschrijvinge der Afrikaensche Gewesten, commonly known as the Description of Africa. Salé is an ancient city, having been settled by Phoenician merchants, and growing in importance during the Roman era as Sala Colonia. The city was conquered by the Arabs in the seventh century, but did not rise to prominence until the beginning of the seventeenth century, when Moriscos expelled from the former Muslim provinces of Spain settled in the ruins of the old town. By the 1620s, the city became a hub for piracy, and was seized by the Dutch born Jan Janzsoon, who 'turned Turk,' renaming himself Murad Reis and declaring himself the Grand Admiral of a new Corsair Republic. Following his departure in 1627, the city continued to declare its independence, electing a council of twelve in place of their Grand Admiral and participating in numerous raids across the Atlantic and Mediterranean in coalition with the Barbary Pirates. The Republic survived until 1668, when it finally fell back under the control of the Sultan of Morocco. Olfert Dapper's 'Description of Africa' was an ethnographic book which offered a detailed description of the parts of Africa known to Europeans in the mid-seventeenth century. Despite the work being regarded as one of the most important and detailed seventeenth-century publications on Africa, Dapper himself never actually visited the continent. Instead, he relied on the reports of Jesuit missionaries and Dutch explorers. The 'Description of Africa' was first published in 1668 by Jacob van Meurs in Amsterdam, with a second Dutch edition appearing in 1676. In 1670, a German translation of the publication was issued, and in the same year, an English translation, which is generally attributed to John Ogilby. A French edition was published in 1676, although it was not as true to the original as the other translations. Olfert Dapper (1636 - 1689) was a Dutch physician and writer. Despite never travelling outside of the Netherlands, Dapper was a writer of world history and geography. Condition: Vertical centre fold as issued. Time toning to sheet. Old tear repair to top right margin, not affecting plate or image. |
| Framing | mounted |
| Price | £250.00 |
| Stock ID | 44533 |