Arent Roggeveen (c. 1628–1679). De Cust van Westindien, Tusschen Rio Demarary en Rio d'Oroonque. 1720

Arent Roggeveen (c. 1628–1679)
De Cust van Westindien, Tusschen Rio Demarary en Rio d'Oroonque
Amsterdam: Pieter Mortier, circa 1680–1700
From Het Brandende Veen
Hand-colored copperplate sea chart
Sheet size: approx. 21 x 17 inches

A dramatic and richly engraved sea chart of the Guiana coastline, this work by Dutch hydrographer Arent Roggeveen covers the stretch from the Rio Demerara to the Orinoco Delta, reflecting early Dutch interest in the northern rim of South America. Originally composed in the 1670s and posthumously published by Pieter Mortier, the chart served both navigational and colonial purposes during a period of intense European rivalry in the region.

With a web of rhumb lines, decorated compass roses, and soundings along the coast, the chart reflects the baroque visual language of Dutch maritime cartography. Forts, rivers, and settlement sites are marked with precision and accompanied by Dutch place names, emphasizing this region’s importance as a frontier of Dutch West India Company activity.

Charts from Het Brandende Veen are rare and prized for their synthesis of artistry and early colonial history in the Americas.