Gulf Map in 1747 (1 results)

Bellin, Jacques Nicolas. Ile d'Ormus ou de Jerun, 1747, depicts Hormuz and the surrounding Persian Gulf maritime landscape more than a century after an Anglo-Persian force ended Portuguese control of the island in 1622. Published in Histoire générale des voyages, the engraving identifies the Persian coast, islands, anchorages, fortifications, and channels while distinguishing Arab vessels from large-masted European sailing ships. Its concentration on ships, coastal defenses, and approaches to Hormuz records the strategic geography of a passage that connected Persian Gulf ports with Indian Ocean trading routes. Bellin, Jacques Nicolas. Ile d'Ormus ou de Jerun. From Histoire générale des voyages, 1747. Overall sheet size 13.5 x 9.5 inches; image size 7.5 x 9.75 inches. The upper portion identifies the "Cote de Perse," while inscriptions throughout the engraving include "Fortresse," "Ile de Kishom ou Quixema," "Entre des Vaisseaux," "Porte de derriere," "Parade Alkoran," "St. Lucia," and "Lardimira." Five Arab vessels occupy the foreground, while additional Arab shipping appears at left and European ships with tall masts and multiple sails appear at right. The fortified settlement on Hormuz includes the fortress associated with Portuguese occupation of the island. Hormuz had been seized in 1507 by the Portuguese commander Afonso de Albuquerque, and Portuguese control made the island a fortified base for regulating maritime commerce at the entrance to the Persian Gulf. The Portuguese constructed the Fort of Our Lady of the Conception there; in 1622, forces of Shah Abbas I, assisted by ships of the English East India Company, captured Hormuz and ended Portuguese rule on the island. Bellin's 1747 engraving therefore records a landscape shaped by earlier Portuguese fortification but returned to Persian control, while its juxtaposition of Arab and European vessels documents the continuing international maritime character of the strait. Paper folded three times, consistent with its original publication format. Overall very good condition.…