The bay of Mauritius

The picture shows an exotic coast and beach with many men hard at work: there is a man fishing in the foreground, to the right a figure on a podium before a group of people. Behind him a smith and in the centre a cooper. On the left various exotic animals and in the centre a tree bearing the coats of arms of the province of Zeeland, Amsterdam and Holland.

According to the caption accompanying the picture, a bay on the island of Mauritius is shown here. This image is an amended copy of a picture taken from 'Begin ende Voortgang', Rijksmuseum RP-P-OB-75-379. The East Indiamen shown here are not included in the picture included in 'Begin ende Voortgang'.

This picture shows the Mauritius roadstead. However, the caption to another, similar drawing (RP-P-OB-47-490) labels the place as St. Losie on Madagascar. Given that the original depiction occurs in the travel journal of Jacob van Neck and Wijbrant van Warwijck, who put in at Mauritius for refreshments, it seems extremely unlikely that Madagascar is shown.

This print is a mirror image to Rijksmuseum, inv.nr. RP-P-OB-75-375.

This depiction is a mirror image of Koninklijke Bibliotheek, inv.nr. 511 K23 p. 216, which also shows the East Indiamen.

Cf. Universiteitsbibliotheek, Universiteit van Amsterdam, inv. nr. O 60 64, p. 7.