The Sheik of Governor of Mosambique visits de Gama on board his Ship.
Vol. VIII.p.32. [n.d., c.1775.]
Etching, sheet 140 x 85mm. 5½ x 3¼". Trimmed within plate.
Dom Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira (1460 or 1469 – 1524) was a Portuguese explorer and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India. The expedition set sail for his first voyage from Lisbon on July 8, 1497, following the route pioneered by earlier explorers along the coast of Africa via Tenerife and the Cape Verde Islands. After reaching the coast of present day Sierra Leone, Gama took a course south into the open ocean, crossing the Equator and seeking the South Atlantic westerlies that Bartolomeu Dias had discovered in 1487. This course proved successful and on November 4, 1497, the expedition made landfall on the African coast. Arab-controlled territory on the East African coast was an integral part of the network of trade in the Indian Ocean. Fearing the local population would be hostile to Christians, Gama impersonated a Muslim and gained audience with the Sultan of Mozambique. With the paltry trade goods he had to offer, Gama was unable to provide a suitable gift to the ruler and soon the local populace became suspicious of Gama and his men. Forced by a hostile crowd to flee Mozambique, Gama departed the harbor, firing his cannons into the city in retaliation. Plate to 'The World displayed; or, a curious collection of voyages and travels, selected from the writers of all nations. ... Embellished with cuts' T. Carnan and F. Newbery, 1774-78.
[Ref: 11614] £45.00
Etching, sheet 140 x 85mm. 5½ x 3¼". Trimmed within plate.
Dom Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira (1460 or 1469 – 1524) was a Portuguese explorer and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India. The expedition set sail for his first voyage from Lisbon on July 8, 1497, following the route pioneered by earlier explorers along the coast of Africa via Tenerife and the Cape Verde Islands. After reaching the coast of present day Sierra Leone, Gama took a course south into the open ocean, crossing the Equator and seeking the South Atlantic westerlies that Bartolomeu Dias had discovered in 1487. This course proved successful and on November 4, 1497, the expedition made landfall on the African coast. Arab-controlled territory on the East African coast was an integral part of the network of trade in the Indian Ocean. Fearing the local population would be hostile to Christians, Gama impersonated a Muslim and gained audience with the Sultan of Mozambique. With the paltry trade goods he had to offer, Gama was unable to provide a suitable gift to the ruler and soon the local populace became suspicious of Gama and his men. Forced by a hostile crowd to flee Mozambique, Gama departed the harbor, firing his cannons into the city in retaliation. Plate to 'The World displayed; or, a curious collection of voyages and travels, selected from the writers of all nations. ... Embellished with cuts' T. Carnan and F. Newbery, 1774-78.
[Ref: 11614] £45.00