Pieter van der Aa; 1659-1733.
Van der Aa, started his own book making shop in Leyden in
1672, publishing an enormous amount of materials. He did branch
out seriously in the atlas business in 1707, probably on account
of the strong interest for geography with the dutch public
of that time. The golden age of the East India Company(VOC)
was over, but international trade was still a major economic
trump for the Low Countries.
His cartographic knowledge and skills were rather limited,
but he borrowed extensively from the masters of the art. His
maps were quite decorative, and made the success of "Atlas
nouveau et curieux" in 1710, and above all of the 27 volume
"La gallerie agréable du monde" in 1729.
L'Ile de Formosa,...
This unusual map (13 5/8" X 11 5/16") was prepared for inclusion
in the 1729 "Les voyages du Sieur Albert de Mandeslo".
The same map was reused in several publications, notably by
the Van der Keulen for their VOC atlas.
It shows the south west part of Taiwan and the Pescadores
Islands.
Fascinating nautical details: sand bars, reefs, and water
depths surrounding the dutch stronghold of Fort Zelandia,
shown on the map as Tayovan, i.e. Taiwan.
Other colonization efforts are also shown; farms and forts
along the coast of the bay. But strangely enough the forts
and settlements previously used by the dutch on the Pescadores
are not shown.. may be because they were dismantled, and their
building materials had been reused on Taiwan when the colonists
were forced to move.
Interestingly, the elevation view of the approach to the harbor
is detailed so as to help seafarers reach safely the anchorage.
No text on verso.
|