Map and view of the island of S. Paulo and coastal views of islands south of Sumatra

Map and view of the island of S. Paulo and coastal views of islands south of Sumatra.

't Eijland, St. Paulo. / Aldus vertoont Hem, Sto. Paulo int Vorbij Zeijlen.

The illustration was drawn on December 25, 1626 by the crew of the vessel 't Wapen van Delft, and copied between 1665 and 1668, probably in Johannes Vingboons' studio.

The plate is taken from the Blaeu-Van der Hem Atlas.

In the early seventeenth century the VOC discovered a sea route to Indonesia which deployed the westerly winds off the Cape of Good Hope to best advantage and avoided the windstill zone along the equator as far as possible. In sailing this route it was important to set a northerly course at the right time, in the vicinity of the islands of St Paul and Amsterdam. But this did not always prove possible, which led to the discovery of the west coast of Australia.