Map of the Captaincy of Paraíba and Rio Grande from 1720

Excellent map of the Brazilian coast, including the captaincies of Paraíba and Rio Grande.

The map was drawn after real research by Georg Markgraf, Elias Herckmanns and others and was one of the first maps of Brazil based on non-Portuguese data.

The map is richly engraved with a huge scene of a procession of Tupinambás Indians carrying a Dutch flag, part of a sugar mill and three major naval battles depicted at sea.

It is also decorated with coats of arms, a compass rose and a title cartouche in stripes.

The series of maps of the captaincies of Brazil is unlike any other map in Blaeu’s atlases. Blaeu first published these and the supplementary maps for Gaspar Barleus’ Rerum per Octennium in Brasilia in 1647.

They were also assembled into a large wall map, Brasília qua parte paret Belgis; the places where the sheets overlap are marked by faint lines on the left.

The maps appeared in the Atlas Maior from 1662 and were sold to various publishers after Blaeu’s death. “Praefecturae de Paraiba, et Rio Grande”, Blaeu/Covens & Mortier

Captaincy of Paraíba and Rio Grande from 1720 – Historical Maps of Brazil