|
||
|
|
|
|
This engraving of the 1596 naval skirmish off Bantam (Banten) was published in 1625 as part of Levinus Hulsius’ serial on exploration, a series of travel accounts and voyage narratives that documented early Dutch, English, and other European expeditions to the East Indies and the New World. Although Hulsius himself had died in 1606, his publishing house continued to issue volumes of the series, ensuring the continued circulation of detailed accounts of overseas exploration, trade, and warfare.
The scene depicts a battle between Dutch ships under Cornelis de Houtman and Javanese forces off the coast of Bantam, one of the key trading centers in the Indonesian archipelago. The Dutch, attempting to establish direct trade relations and challenge the Portuguese presence in the spice trade, met with resistance from local rulers, who were wary of European interference. The illustration shows cannon fire exchanged between Dutch and Javanese vessels, with the text describing the capture of some ships and the destruction of another.
The inclusion of this event in Hulsius’ series reflects the European fascination with Dutch expansion into Southeast Asia, particularly as the Dutch East India Company (VOC) had been founded in 1602 and was rapidly asserting dominance over the Portuguese in the region. By 1625, the Dutch had firmly established their presence in the East Indies, making the publication of this earlier encounter a retrospective account of their early struggles and eventual successes.
Hulsius' serial was one of the most influential and widely read collections of voyage narratives in the early 17th century, combining engraved illustrations, firsthand reports, and descriptions of indigenous cultures and European encounters.
States
The plate was first printed in 1598, without the page number "35" in the upper right corner.
![[ Southeast Asia & The Philippines ]](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/47007.jpg)
![[ Battle of Ternate, Indonesia / Fort Malayo / Chinese Trading Post! ]](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/104228.jpg)
![[ First Spanish Map of Southeast Asia and the Philippine Islands ] Descripcion De Las Indias Del Poniente](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/108044.jpg)