Rare c.16th hand coloured copper engraving, of a panoramic bird’s-eye view of Calicut (present-day Kozhikode), on the Malabar Coast of India.
The principal view occupies the upper portion of the sheet, while the lower section contains views of Ormus, Canonor and S. Georgii Oppidum Mina. Calicut is shown as a major maritime trading centre, with ships and smaller craft offshore, activity along the shoreline, and an elephant with its mahout prominently depicted in the foreground. The combination of European and Asian vessels reflects the city’s importance within the Indian Ocean trading network.
The Latin title, “Calicut, the most celebrated emporium of India”, reflects the city’s reputation in contemporary European geographical literature as one of the principal commercial centres of the East. The accompanying text describes Calicut as one of the greatest Indian cities and emphasises its maritime commerce and the authority of the Zamorin, its hereditary ruler. The view is particularly significant as one of the earliest widely disseminated European printed representations of Calicut and provides a valuable, if partly imaginative, record of the city and its maritime environment in the 16th century.
The other views are of;
Ormus is Hormuz, in present-day Iran, representing the historic port of Hormuz on Hormuz Island at the entrance to the Persian Gulf. It was one of the great entrepôts of the Indian Ocean trade, connecting the Persian Gulf with India and the wider eastern trading world.
Canonor is Cannanore, now Kannur, on the Malabar Coast of Kerala, India. It was an important spice-trading port and became a Portuguese stronghold following the construction of Fort St Angelo in 1504.
S. Georgii Oppidum Mina refers to São Jorge da Mina, now Elmina, on the coast of present-day Ghana. The Portuguese established the fortified settlement in 1482 as a major centre for the West African gold trade.
From: Braun & Hogenberg, Civitates orbis terrarum. Cologne
Following the original publication of Volume 1 of the Civitates in 1572, seven further editions of 1575, 1577, 1582, 1588, 1593, 1599 and 1612 can be identified. Vol.2, first issued in 1575, was followed by further editions in 1597 and in 1612. The next volumes appeared in 1581, 1588, 1593, 1599 and 1606. The German translation of the first volume appeared from 1574 on, and the French edition from 1575 on.
References:
Kroght, P. Koeman’s Atlantes Neerlandici. Amsterdam 1997. Nine volumes. : VI-2 4539
Fauser, Alois, Repertorium älterer Topographie. Druckgraphik von 1486 bis 1750. Weisbaden, 1978: 14516
Collections:
National Library Australia: Bib ID 3417308
Library of Congress Washington D.C.: G1028 .B7 1612
British Library London: C.29.e.1
