De BRY, Johann Theodor, (1560-1623) and Johann Israel de Bry (1565-1609). Part V, Plate 13, Description of the City Gamme lamme. From the "Little Voyages"

De BRY, Johann Theodor, (1560-1623) and Johann Israel de Bry (1565-1609). Part V, Plate 13, Description of the City Gamme lamme. From the "Little Voyages"

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Plate XIII, Beschreibung der Stadt Gamme lamme sampt andern Gelegenheiten
From Part V of Johann Theodor de Bry (1561-1623) and Johann Isreal de Bry's (1565-1609) Orientalische Indien (“Little Voyages”), Funffter Theil der Orientalischen Indien...Frankfurt: 1601
Engraving with original, early 17th century hand color heightened with gold on laid paper; paper dimensions: approximately: 11 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches
Printed by Matthias Becker
van Groesen 63

TERNATEAN AND DUTCH SHIPS OFF GAMMELAMME, NORTHERN  MALUKU ISLANDS

Van Warwijck put in at Ambon and Ternate in 1599, while his colleague Jacob van Heemskerck sailed to Banda. Here we see the two Dutch ships on the right in the port of Gamme Lamme, the capital of Ternate. The city, present-day Castela, is on the west coast of the island. A rectangular building, the mosque, is clearly recognizable on the left. In the center of the city we see defenses built by the Portuguese in the 16th century.

In 1575 a local ruler came to power. He stayed in power until 1606, when the Spaniards conquered Gamme Lamme. In 1607 the king of Ternate asked the Dutch for assistance against the Spaniards. Even thought the Dutch were unable to entirely drive the Spaniards off the island, their assistance did result in a treaty, which secured the Dutch a monopoly on the clove trade.*

Title: Description of the city Gamme lamme

Text: This city Gamme lamme is located on the island Ternate. In this city the Dutch also do a lot of trade their houses are made out of thick and split pipe twisted together. A. those are the Dutch ships how they arrived. B. is a Karkol (type of boat), which came to them on board to see what kind of people they are and what their intention was which when they found out were almost happy about their arrival. C. a Karkol which they use for war. D. a pillar in the water on which they hung a head of one of their enemies. E. their market which they hold under a tree because of the sun. F. Their church or Musquita. G. the king's palace built out of stone. H. a small house with the metal cannon on top which captain Francis Drack, threw into the ocean during a storm and which they found. I. is the house of the Dutch king where they stayed. K. is the house where the Dutch made their trades. L. M. a monetary called S. Palace and is a stone house built by the Portuguese. N.The king's translator's apartment. O. is a tower on which a metal cannon lies. P. an island between Ternate and Tidore. Q. The island Tidore. R. is the entrance to the harbor which is surrounded by rocks and stones where the residents go to fish in shallow water. S. is a pleasure boat (a ship without real purpose). T. shows how they catch their fish plenty described in history. V. a trader ship which transports the wares from one island to another.**

ENGRAVED PLATES FROM VOLUME V OF DE BRY’S ‘LITTLE VOYAGES’ OF THE EAST INDIES

Documenting the East Indian Journey led by Admiral Jacob Cornelius van Neck (1598), featuring Depictions of: Mauritius, Tuban, Banda, Ternate, Molluccas, Banda, and Gammalamme

The very first Dutch voyage to the East Indies took place in 1595 and was led by the brothers Frederik and Cornelis de Houtman. The second expedition followed in 1598, led by Admiral Jacob Cornelius van Neck. Eight ships left Amsterdam on this journey.

One of these ships was captained by Jacob van Heemskerck, who earlier had participated in the arctic expedition led by Willem Barents in 1595- 1597, an ill-fated journey that ended with the famous overwintering in Novaya Zemlya. In addition to Heemskerck there was a third lead- ing figure on this trip, Vice Admiral Wijbrand van Warwijck.

The eight ships departed in the direction of southern Africa. After the Cape of Good Hope, half the fleet put in at Madagascar, the other half went to Mauritius. The admiral met up with the other captains in Bantam (on the northern point of Java).

After loading the ships with a great quantity of spices there, Van Neck sent vice admirals Van Heemskerck and Van Warwijck on to the Maluku Islands (formerly known as the Moluccas, or Spice Islands). He himself started the return journey. After 14 months, on 19 July 1599, Van Neck returned to the  Netherlands with a rich cargo: 600,000 pounds of pepper, 250,000 pounds of cloves, 20,000 pounds of nutmeg and 200 pounds of mace.

When Van Neck distributed the profits among the expedition's shareholders, Van Warwijck and Van Heemskerck were already far along in their journey. They first put in at the Javan city of Tuban, where they bought food and visited the palace of the local king. They continued on to Ambon, where they arrived in 1599. A few trading posts were opened on the Maluku island of Ambon for the purchase of cloves. Commerce also took place on Banda, part of the southern Maluku Islands and at the time the only island in the world where nutmeg grew.

De Bry's prints are illustrations to the original travel accounts of Van Neck and Warwijck and were probably drawn in the Netherlands after the expedition's return, on the basis of sketches that made by the crew.*

*Research provided by Martine Gosselink, head of the History department at the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Netherlands.

**Translated from original German by Karl Nesseler.

Description compiled by Erik Brockett who is pleased to provide additional information relating to this or other examples of the work of Johann Theodor de Bry available at Arader Galleries. He can be contacted at erikbrockett@aradergalleries.com