... Trankenbar ... / ...Koniglichen Danischen ... Dansburg ...
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A rare and finely engraved pair of maps focused on the erstwhile holdings of the Danish East India Company in present-day Madras Province. One plate features a detailed plan of the city of Tranquebar with a panoramic view from the sea, whilst the other is a detailed map of the environs. The Danish East India Company established a trading fort at Tranquebar around 1620, but the lack of success of the Company was to lead to calls for its dissolution. After years of sporadic and poor trading, however, the colony achieved some lasting significance with the establishment of India's first Protestant mission in 1706, and subsequently the first modern printing press on the sub-continent.
Of the pair, one plate shows a very detailed and annotated plan of the town with panorama below, while the other shows the hinterland in a visual style unlike any other map we can recall. The area around is shown in massive detail with the marshy nature of coastal and river zones apparent, while rice fields, habitations, forested areas, paths and other features are clearly depicted. A fascinating pair of maps.
region: Maps of India and Ceylon |
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