Eighty Years War (Dutch War of Independence) (1568-1648)
Contemporary prints and maps of the battles and sieges of the Eighty Years War
Naval engagement at Havana and Bahía de Matanzas, 1628
Af-beeldinghe vande veroveringhe der twee Gallioenen vande Honduras by de Havana, door de Schepen vande / VVest-Indische Compagnie, onder het beleyt vanden Admirael Pieter Adriaenssen...
c.1628Engraving; printed printed from two copperplates on two sheets of paper; the left half of the print was laid down on paper before being joined to the right half and then the whole was mounted on paper (Mount Type A). Letterpress title printed on two pieces of paper and pasted to the top left edge of the print. | 39.0 x 63.5 cm (image and sheet) | RCIN 722036.a
A low-middle oblique view of a naval engagement off Havana on 31 July-1 August 1628 between the Spanish, commanded by Admiral Alvaro de la Cerda and the Dutch, under Admiral Pieter Adriaanszoon Ita (fl.1620-1629) resulting in a Dutch victory. Eighty Years War (Dutch War of Independence) (1568-1648).
This view, with the towers of Fort Moros guarding the entrance to Havana in the right background, shows the action in which Dutch ships of the Dutch West India Company blocked the entry into Havana harbour of two Spanish galleons from the Honduras, the Nostra Señora de los Remedios (marked with an ‘L’) and the Sant Iago (marked ‘M’). During the engagement the Dutch vessel Leeuwinne (marked ‘E’) and the Sant Iago ran aground, as seen in this print.
Admiral Ita’s flagship, the Walcheren (marked ‘A’) was successful in boarding the Spanish ships and, following the Spanish surrender, Ita took their cargo, valued at 1.2 million guilders, which is itemised in the accompanying text (RCIN 722036.b). The Dutch success in this engagement, and their return to Europe, persuaded the Spanish that the Dutch had left the Caribbean and they failed to protect their treasure fleet adequately and it was plundered a few months later by Admiral Pieter Heyn.
David van den Bremden (engraver)
Claes Jansz Visscher II (c.1587-1652) (publisher) [bottom right, around the compass rose:] CJ [monogram] Visscher excū. DVBremden fecit
Watermark: Cropped and indistinct: shield with chevron, fleur-de-lys above, the letter V below
Condition: three fold lines; the mount is cropped; no gilt edges
39.0 x 63.5 cm (image and sheet)
cropped (platemark)
42.7 x 64.1 cm (mount)
Printed title:
Af-beeldinghe vande veroveringhe der twee Gallioenen vande Honduras by de Havana, door de Schepen vande / VVest-Indische Compagnie, onder het beleyt vanden Admirael Pieter Adriaenssen van Vlissinghen, op den eersten Augusti 1628. / Den E. Heeren Bewint-hebberen der Generale geoctroyeerde VVest-Indische Compagnie, Eerbiedelijck op-ghedraghen, door David vanden Bremden. [top left]
Annotations:
George III heading: Naval Engagement off the Havana, 1 August 1628.
Other annotations: (Recto) none. (Verso) [centre, black pencil, erased and indistinct:] II/[40]; [centre, red pencil:] 1/158-1.
George III catalogue entry:
Naval Engagement Afbeeldinghe vande veroveringhe der twee Gallioenen vande Honduras by de Havana door de Schepen vande West-Indische Compagnie onder het beleyt vanden Admirael Pieter Adriaenssen, op den 1.ten Augusti 1628: door David vanden Bremden, gedruckt by C.I. Visscher. 2 tab. (with a Description, 1628) [The same entry appears under the heading Havana]
Subject(s)
Havana, Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba (23°07'58"N 82°22'58"W)
Bahía de Matanzas, Puerto de Matanzas, Cuba (23°04ʹ27ʺN 81°30ʹ22ʺW)
Bibliographic reference(s)
M. McDonald, The Print Collection of Cassiano dal Pozzo. Part II, Architecture, Topography and Military Maps, 3 vols, London 2019, cat. no. 2878
Page revisions
14 March 2024
Current version
