Montanus' work was perhaps the greatest illustrated book on the New World produced in the seventeenth century. It contained over one hundred beautifully engraved plates, views, and maps of North and South America. The plates vividly depict forts, festivals, occupations, Dutch fleets, battles, religious rites, and customs of the native inhabitants. This important work was translated into German by Olivier Dapper, and into English by John Ogilby. Several of the plates were later acquired by Pierre Vander Aa.

This lot includes 2 intriguing plates from John Ogilby's English translation of Arnoldus Montanus' De Nieuwe en Onbekende Weereld. The first depicts the flora and fauna that one might find on the island of St. Martin. In the shadows at right are two natives wearing horned caps. The second shows the local flora and a "wild swine" on the island of St. Barts. St. Barts (or Saint Barthelemy) was first colonized by the French in 1623, and is one of four Leeward Islands comprising the French West Indies. Both engravings appear on sheets of English text (10.5 x 16.4") describing the islands.

References:

Condition: A

Both sheets have light toning and foxing confined to the edges, well away from engraved images, and wormtracks in the bottom blank margin.