Theodore De Bry. A Cidade de Angra Na Ilhade Iesc Xpo Da Tercera, 1601. [Azores]

Theodore de Bry (1528–1598)
A Cidade de Angra Na Ilhade Iesc Xpo Da Tercera
From Grand Voyages, Frankfurt, 1601
Engraving
[Sheet size: 16 3/4 x 22 1/4 in.]

This striking early view, with glorious original color, of the port city of Angra on Terceira Island in the Azores is one of the earliest known European depictions of the Atlantic archipelago's strategic harbors. Published by the celebrated engraver and publisher Theodore de Bry in his influential Grand Voyages series, the engraving captures the fortified town at the height of its significance as a vital stopover for Portuguese treasure fleets returning from the Americas and Asia. Rendered with de Bry’s distinctive blend of artistic flourish and cartographic detail, the map reflects the era’s fascination with far-flung territories and the growing importance of Atlantic navigation in the early modern period. As a visual document, it offers insight into 16th-century military architecture, maritime trade routes, and the imperial ambitions of European powers vying for control over key oceanic crossroads.