Hendrick Doncker

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An early sea chart of the southwest coast of Africa including the Cape of Good Hope.   The chart shows Africa south from the Angolan coast to just beyond the Cape of Good Hope to Struys Bay and Cape das Vaccas in South Africa.  There is also an inset of Saldanha Bay and the Cape of Good Hope with Table Mountain.  This area was to become of extreme importance to the Dutch as a re-supply point and settlement for the Dutch East India trade.  The Dutch established a permanent settlement at the Cape of Good Hope when the Dutchman, Jan van Riebeeck, landed there in 1652.

A large title cartouche, surrounded by Africans holding various navigational instruments, dominates the bottom right of the chart.  Several ships are in the sea.  Two compass roses and numerous rhumb lines cover the seas.

This chart appeared in Doncker's Nieuwe Groote Vermeerderde Zeeatlas. Hendrick Doncker (1626-1699) and his son, also named Hendrick, were important Dutch booksellers and publishers of sea atlases.  "In a period when so many maps and charts were simply copied from other publishers, Doncker's charts were his own work and were noted for their accuracy and constant improvement." (Moreland and Bannister, p. 115).   Doncker's charts were "the most up to date in the second half of the 17^th century". .  He updated and added new charts to his sea atlas on a regular basis (Koeman, p. 154).

Reference:  Koeman. Atlantes Neerlandici. vol IV. p. 158.   Moreland, Carl, and David Bannister. Antique Maps: A Collector's Guide. 2nd. ed. Oxford: Phaidon-Cristie's, 1986.

Very fine example on thick paper.