Description: This is an extremely rare print / copperplate engraving from: 'De eerste Schipvaerd der Hollandsche Natie naer Oost-Indien.... (The first sea voyage of the Dutch nation to the East-Indies ...), which was part of the monumental work by Isaac Commelin (1598-1676) on VOC voyages: 'Begin ende voortgangh van de Vereenighde Nederlantsche Geoctroyeerde Oost-Indische Companie....', published by Joannes Janssonius, Amsterdam, 1646. The First Dutch Expedition to Indonesia was an expedition that took place from 1595 to 1597. It was instrumental in the opening up of the Indonesian spice trade to the merchants that eventually formed the Dutch East India Company, and marked the end of the Portuguese Empire's dominance in the region.
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