Italy - Spain - Portugal - Netherlands - France - Britain
Here revealed is the Western Hemisphere, with Flora for Florence on one side and Janus for Genoa on the other. Above are medallion portraits of both Columbus and Vespucci, believed at the time to be the founding fathers of the discovery of America. Below, Neptune is supporting the globe and the landmass showing the north-west coast of Italy and the city of Florence to the right. The engraving in contre-épreuve is based on one by Stradanus and Collaert, published nine years earlier (ref. 56).
Introductory Plate 2 (14.1x19.3), from Part IV(g), published 1594
with German or Latin text: 
‘Gentle reader …’, wrote de Bry, ‘The king and queen of Spain commissioned a leading artist of the day to paint a portrait of Columbus so there would be some memory of him if he failed to return. I recently obtained the original of this portrait and so that you could see it, I have had it etched in bronze by my son and offer it to you now.’
(There still are in existence about 80 early portraits of Columbus but all these are thought to have been painted posthumously. If, therefore, de Bry’s claim is true, this engraving, beautifully framed within a flora and fauna surround, perhaps resembled the great explorer more closely than all others.)
Introductory plate (15.6x12.8),
from Part V(g), first published in 1595 with German and Latin text:
http://www.floridahistory.com/de-bry-plates/de-bry-biography-mirror.htm
Columbus is seen here in the centre, seated among his Spanish companions. He asked who could make an egg stand on end so, after they all had tried and agreed it was a physical impossibility, he proceed to flatten the end by lightly tapping it on his plate before standing it upright.
(This simple trick originally may have been attributed to Brunelleschi who, by the same token, was believed to have used it to demonstrate that the great dome of Florence Cathedral, which he himself designed, was not after all a physical impossibility.)
Plate 7 (16.2x20.1), from Part
IV(g), first published 1594 with German or Latin text:
[003] Columbus departs on his first voyage
On August 3, 1492 Columbus set sail from Huelva in southern Spain, in search of a route to the Indies by sailing west. By sunrise his three heavily laden little ships had already crossed the river bar and were on their way to changing the course of history. (Although Columbus is seen here waving good-bye to Ferdinand and Isabella, the king and queen of Spain, they were not in fact present at his departure.)
Plate 8 (16.1x19.6), from Part
IV(g), first published in 1594 with German or Latin text:
[252] Pizarro is granted permission to conquer Peru
Pizarro sailed to Spain in 1528 and appealed to the king to grant him permission to conquer Peru. With him he brought gold and silver as evidence of its potential wealth. On 26 July 1529, a royal agreement was signed in which Pizarro was made governor of all the territory, up to 200 leagues south of Guayaquil. Almagro was made commander of Tumbes, while the priest, de Luque, was made Bishop of Tumbez. This engraving shows Pizarro, appealing to the dignitaries in the royal court and symbolically in the background, spoils being loaded aboard ship.
Plate 3
(15.6x19.3), from Part VI(g), first published in 1596, with Latin text and 1597
with German text:
[012] Departure of Benzoni from Sanlúcar
This illustrates the departure for the New World of Girolamo Benzoni in 1541 from the port of Sanlúcar in southern Spain. He spent fourteen years travelling in the West Indies, Central and South America and, in 1565 after his return, published his experiences in ‘La Historia del Mondo Nuevo’. This book (ref. 3) formed the basis for many of the illustrations in de Bry’s publications, Parts IV, V & VI from the Grands Voyages. The harbour scene is not accurate but represents Benzoni’s departure, which was typical of many other Europeans’ departures for the New World in the sixteenth century.
Plate 1
(16.3x20.0) from Part IV(g), first published in 1594 with German or Latin text:
[013] Departure of Hans Staden from Lisbon
This harbour scene serves to illustrate the departure of Hans Staden from Lisbon. In 1547 he set sail aboard a ship, under Captain Pintado’s command, bound for Brazil. Miraculously he escaped death and returned to Europe where, in 1557 he published his horrifying experiences among the Tupinamba Indians in ‘Warhaftig historia …’ (ref. 55). De Bry subsequently used the text of this work to illustrate some of Part III.
Pages 1, 102
& 146, with Latin text, or pages 1 & 97, with German text, from Part
III(g), first published with Latin text in 1592, or with German text in 1593:
[455] Title Page to Part III of the Petits Voyages
This describes the voyages of the Dutchman, Jan Huygens van Linschoten, who sailed with the Portuguese to Java and Sumatra and records the customs, lives and superstitions of the indigenous peoples. It also tells of the three Dutch voyages of Wilem Barentz, via the Midnight, or Polar Sea, in search of a north-east passage to India.
Title Page (28.0x19.0) to Part III(p), first published in 1599 with German
text and 1601 with Latin text:
[544] Medallion Portrait of Jan Huygehen van Linschoten
He sailed to Goa in India in 1583 and went on to explore the Malabar and Coromandel coastal regions, eventually returning to Holland by way of Terceira in the Azores, where he stayed for three years. Throughout this period he collected much data from other Dutch sailors and gunners who had served with the Portuguese in the East. Much of this data, which was subsequently published in his Navigatio in 1595-6 reappeared in de Bry’s Petits Voyages.
Preface
Portrait (14.0x10.3), from Part II (p), first published in 1598 with German text and in 1599 with Latin text:
[415] Other parts of Oriental India
This is an account of the inhabitants living eastwards of Africa, covering the countries of India, China and adjacent islands. It describes their customs, clothing, religions and other ways of life, together with some Portuguerse who settled among these folk.
Written in 1596 by the Dutchman, Jan van Linschoten who, within the space of thirteen years, experienced all these things personally. The journal was translated into German and decorated with beautiful copper engravings by the brothers Hans Dieterich and Hans Israel de Bry. Printed in Frankfurt on Main by Johann Saur.
Title Page (27.0x19.0) to Part II(p), first published in 1598 with German text and in 1599 with Latin text:
[309] The introduction to Wilhelm Schouten van Hoorn’s voyage
This shows the honoured place Schouten, along with Magellan, were given among the other navigators: Drake, Noort, Cavendish and Spilbergen, to South America. Here, his medallion portrait is seen next to Magellan’s for his pioneering discovery of a way to the East round Cape Horn, named after the little town of Hoorn, from which he came. The double-hemisphere world map marks his round the world track, from Holland with le Maire in 1615. This discovery was kept secret by the Dutch, until mid 1618 by prohibiting the publication of his voyage. This must therefore be one of the earliest maps to show his discovery.
Title Page 1
(16.9x20.4), from Part XI(g), first published in 1619 with German text and
Plate 1 in 1620 with Latin text:
http://www.infoamerica.org/museo/expo_bry/bryxiii/bryxiii01.htm
[297] Introduction to Oliver van Noort’s voyage
Noort was the first Dutchman to circumnavigate the globe. In command of his four ships, he left Rotterdam in Holland on 13th September 1598 (de Bry says in July), following the coast of Africa southwards, then crossing the Atlantic at the equator to Brazil. The fleet followed the coast south, reaching the Magellan straits in November. By February of the following year they had passed into the Pacific and were eastbound for Indonesia, arriving home again on 26th August 1601. To the left of the medallion portrait of van Noort is a native of Capul, and to the right is a native of the Magellan Straits.
Title Page 3
(9.5x14.6), from Part IX(g), first published in 1602 with German and Latin
text:
[303] Spilbergen’s voyage round the world
This introduces Spilbergen’s round-the-world voyage. On 8th August 1614, he set out from Holland in command of six ships for their memorable voyage. Neptune is shown here supporting Spilbergen’s ship and in the background is a sea battle between the Dutch and the Spanish, typical of those engaged in during their three-year voyage.
Title Page 2
(9.6x17.6), from Part XI(g), first published in 1620 with German or Latin text:
[291] An introduction to the Dutch voyage of 1598
This title page shows the five ships that set off from Rotterdam in June 1598, with the aim of finding a new route to the Moluccas under the command of Simon de Cordes. They entered the Straits of Magellan in April of the following year but the ships became separated in a storm and after four months they returned home.
Title Page 2 (90.0x15.7), from Part IX(g),
first published in 1601 with German text and in 1602 with Latin text:
[621] Spilbergen fleet departs from the town of Veere in Zealand
This is a true likeness of the town of Veere in Zealand, whose port and harbour of ships belong to Dutch prince, Maurice of Nassau, who referred to himself as Margrave. The three ship shown here were loaded with provisions by Simon Pardvin, the retired major of the town of Mittelburg and treasurer of Zealand, also by tradesmen, Balthasas Moucheron and Peter van Hecken. The three ships were called the ‘Sheep’, the ‘Ram’ and the ‘Lamb’ and their admiral was named Jörg van Spilbergen, who made several voyages from this place.
Plate 1 (13.6x17.1), from Part VII(p),
first published in 1605 with German text and in 1606 with Latin text:
[670] The ninth part of Indiae Orientaslis
A short description of a Dutch voyage from Zeeland
to the Orient, with nine large and four small ships under the command of
Admiral Peter Wilhelm Verheiffen in 1607, 1608 and 1609, including a report on
their experiences.
Title Page (24.5x16.4) to Part IX(p), first published in 1612 with German and
Latin text:
[620]
The seventh part of
Oriental India
This part
describes two different voyages. The first was a voyage of the admiral, Georg
Spielbergen, who left Zeeland with three ships in 1601 and returned from the
Orient in 1604. He visited the powerful kingdom of Matecalo and Candy and
describes here their customs and ceremonies. It also describes a nine-year
voyage of Casparus Balbi, a Venetian jeweller, between Allepo and Pegu,
including all the customs and ceremonies of the mighty kingdom of Pegu.
Title Page (26.0x18.5), to
Part VII(p), first published in 1605 with German text and in 1606 with Latin
text:
[650] The eighth part of the Indies
Orientales
An
historical description of Admiral Jacob van Neck's sea voyage from Holland to the Indies Orientales from 1600 to 1603. Then follows the journal of Johan
Herman van Bree, chief merchant of the ship 'The Dutch Fence' on a similar
voyage from 1602 to 1604.
First Title Page (25.5x15.5),
from Part VIII(p), first published in 1606 with German text and in 1607 with
Latin text:
[651] Appendix to the eighth part of Indies
Orientales
This
describes the four-year voyage of Cornelis Nicolas, under Admiral Jacob van
Neck, also the two-year voyage of Cornelis van der Ven and the three-year
voyage of Admiral Stephani van der Hagen. There is also a short report of
several attacks against the Portuguese ships and the recent conquest and
occupation of the Portuguese fortresses at Annabon and Tidor.
Second Title Page (9.7x17.5), from Part VIII(p), first published in 1606 with
German text and in 1607 with Latin text:
[683] Completion of the Part 9 of India Oriental
A short continuation of the former voyage from Holland and Zeeland with nine large and four small ships under Admiral Peter Willhelm Verheiffen to Oriental India from 1607 to 1612. Here described are all their experiences on land and at sea. From a short list by Johann Versen, in Germany. By M Gothard Artus von Danzig and with beautiful copper engravings by J. Theodore de Bry. Printed in Frankfurt am Main by Matthias Becker’s widow. Published [posthumously] by Theodore de Bry.
Second Title Page from Part IX(p), first
published in 1612 with Latin text and 1613 with German text:
[169] John Smith is caught by the French
In 1615, during one of John Smith’s voyages across the Atlantic, he was caught by some French pirates. While at sea in captivity he was forced to suffer great hardships but one night, during a storm in the Bay of Biscay when the crew were forced below deck, he managed to escape in a rowing boat. All night he was tossed about by the waves with only a pike to help him steer. The small boat was eventually driven ashore on the island of Charente where some bird-catchers found him almost dead from cold and hunger. He gave them the boat in exchange for the means to La Rochelle.
Plate 12
(14.7x17.4), from Part X(g), first published in 1618 with German text and in
1619 with Latin text:
http://bell.lib.umn.edu/encounters/home.html
[006] Introducing the voyages of Cavendish, Drake and Hawkins
The title page refers to ‘Thomas Cavendish who left England in 1586 and returned in 1588 after a journey of thirteen thousand English miles, also the last voyage of Drake and Hawkins, who left England in 1595 to take the town of Panama in the West Indies’. Below the title is a miniature map, derived from Ortelius’s ‘Oval World’, which has here been set within a rectangular frame, decorated with flowers, fruits and parrots from the New World.
2nd
Title Page (7.8x14.0), with German text and on Page 78 with Latin text, from
Part VIII(g), first published in 1599. (Note: The same miniature world map also
appeared on the 2nd title page to Part IX(p) – see [683] listed
under ‘Netherlands’) :
[016] The introduction to Ralegh’s voyage to Guiana
In 1595 Ralegh set out from England with five ships for, what he later described in his book as, ‘The Discoverie of the Large, Rich, and Bewtiful Empire of Guiana …’ (ref.44). Below the title is a miniature map of the Atlantic, called ‘Mar del Nort’, with the landmasses of the ‘Old’ and ‘New’ worlds on either side. In the Guiana region, not named, is marked ‘Manoa’ – a mythical city where el Dorado, or the Golden One, was believed to have lived.
Title Page 1
(9.1x14.1) with German text, or Page 3 (2nd sequence) with Latin
text, from Part VIII(g), first published in 1599:
[312] L’Hermite’s fleet moors in the Solent for repairs
In March 1623 a heavily armed fleet of 11 ships, under the command of Jacob l’Hermite, sailed from Holland with the ambitious hope of ‘destroying the Spanish in America’. By the time they reached the English Channel, one of the ships began leaking. Here, the admiral is seen coming ashore at Cowes on the Isle of Wight for repairs and being greeted by the governor of the castle there. Soon after setting sail again they were becalmed and had to anchor for a while off the Needles.
Page 8 (14.4x19.5), from Part XIV(g),
first published in 1630 with German text, also Page 87 from Part XIII (g),
first published in 1634 with Latin text:
Items [756] to [760] are described by de Bry as:
Som Pictures of the Pictes which in the olde tyme dyd habite one part of the great Bretainne. The Painter [John White] of whom I have had the first of the Inhabitants of Virginia, gave me also these 5. Figures following, fownd as he did assure me in a oolld English cronicle, the which I wold well sett to the ende of these first Figures, for to showe how that the Inhabitants of the great Bretannie have bin in times past as sawage as those of Virginia.
[756] The trwe picture of one Picte
In tymes past the Pictes, habitans of one part of great Bretainne, which is nowe namMed England, wear sawages, and did paint all their bodye after the manner followinge. They did lett their haire growe as fare as their Shoulders, savinge those which hange upon their forehead, the which they did cutt. They shave all their berde except the mustaches, uppon their braest wear painted the head of som birde, and about the pappes as yt weare beames of the sune, upon the bellye sum feerefull and monstrous face, spreedinge the beames verye fare upon the thighs. Uppon the two knees som faces of lion, and upon their leggs as yt had been shelles of fish. Uppon their Shoulders griffones heades, and then they had serpents abowt their armes: They caried abowt their necks one ayerne ringe, and another abowt the midds of their bodye, abowt the bellye, and the saids [sides?] hange on a chaine a cimeterre or turkie soorde, they did carye in one arme a target made of wode, and in the other hande a picke, of which the ayerne was after the manner of a Lick [lance?], with tassels on, and the other ende with a Rounde boule. And when they had overcome some of their ennemis, they did never felle to carye awey their heads with them.
Ad. Plate 1 from Part I(g), first
published in 1590 with German, Latin, French and English text:
[757] The trwe picture of a women Picte
The woemen of the pictes above said wear noe worser for the warres then the men. And wear paynted after the manner followinge, havinge their heads bear, did lett their hairre flyinge abowt. Their Showlders wear painted with griffon heades, the lowe parts and thighs with lion faces, or some other beaste as yt commeth best into their fansye, their brest hath a maner of a half moone, with a great starre, and fowre lesser in booth the sides, their pappes painted in maner of beames of the sonne, and among all this a great litteninge starre upon their brests. The saids of som pointes or beames, and the hoolle bellye as a sonne, the armes, thighes, and leggs well painted, of diverses Figures: They dyd also carye abowt theyr necks an ayern Ringe, as the men did, and suche a girdle with the soorde hainginge, havinge a Picke or a lance in one hande, and twoe dardz in the other.
Ad. Plate 2 from Part I(g), first
published in 1590 with German, Latin, French and English text:
[758] The trwe picture of a yonge dowgter of the Pictes
The yong dougters of the pictes, did also lett their haire flyinge, and wear also painted over all the body, so much that noe men could not faynde any different, yf they had not use of another fashion of paintinge, for they did paint themselves of sondrye kinds of flours, and of the fairest that they cowld feynde. Being fournished for the rest of such kinds of weappon as the woemen wear as you may see by this present picture a thinge trewlly worthie of admiration.
Ad. Plate 3 from Part I(g), first
published in 1590 with German, Latin, French and English text:
[759] The trwe picture of a man of nation neigbour unto the Picte
Ther was in the said great Bretainne yet another nation nigbour unto the Pictes, which did apparel them selves with a kind of cassake other cloath Jerkin, the rest of the bodye wear naked. They did also wear longe heares, and their moustaches, butt the chin wear also shaved as the other before. They dyd were alardge girdle abowt them, in which hange a croket foorde, with the target, and did carye the picke or the lance in their hande, which hath at the lowe end a rownde bowlle, as you may see by this picture.
Ad. Plate 4 from Part I(g), first
published in 1590 with German, Latin, French and English text:
http://www.floridahistory.com/de-bry-plates/de-bry-biography-mirror.htm
[760] The trwe picture of a women nigbour of the Pictes
Their woemen wear apparelled after this manner, but that their apparell was opne before the brest, and did fastene with a little lesse, as our woemen doe fasten their peticott. They lett hange their brests outt, as for the rest they dyd carye suche weappens as the men did, and wear as good as the men for the warre.
Ad. Plate 5 from Part I(g), first
published in 1590 with German, Latin, French and English text:
The End of this Geographical Category