This striking sheet contains separate views of two port towns in the northeast Mediterranean Sea. The top view shows Scanderona (Iskenderun), on the southern coast of Turkey near Syria, which was formerly called Alexandretta in honor of Alexander the Great. The bottom view shows Famagusta, the capital of the Famagusta district in Cyprus and an important port on the trade route between Europe and India. In the center of the view is Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque, formerly known as the St. Nicholas Cathedral until it was converted into a mosque after the Ottoman Empire captured Famagusta in 1571.

Cornelius de Bruyn (1652-1726) was a Dutch artist who traveled through the Holy Land and other portions of Asia. De Bruyn had to disguise his activities because this was a repressive period during the Ottoman rule when foreigners were regarded with suspicion and the making of "graven images" was prohibited. De Bruyn avoided detection by pretending to be picnicking with two Franciscan monks who stood guard while he made his drawings. His works are particularly historically valuable because of their accuracy.

References:

Condition: A+

Fine impression on watermarked paper.