Palace Vrijburg, Mauritsstad, Brazil, anonymous, 1642 - 1652 Canvas Print

Face cut out of parchment at Vrijburg Palace mounted on black silk. The building forms a u-shape, with the open side facing the water. The left tower seen from the sea was crowned by a lighthouse, while in the right an observatory was set up from which the starry sky could be studied. The two towers were connected by a wooden walkway supported by five arches. In top they have a wind vane with the coat of arms of Johan Maurits. A stone quay was intended to protect against the sea, but at the same time served to beautification of the site. On the quay you can see some cannons and a guardhouse. The left side of the cutting shows the outbuildings on the property. On the far left the stables, with a goat in the doorway, in addition to the slave quarters and the old pigeon house. In the garden were coconut palms and papayas, which we also see on the right side of the carving as well as the gardener's home. Johan Maurits's coat of arms is held in the air by an angel figure. The cutting was originally attached to five loose sheets in mid-17th century handwriting to give it a firm surface. The manuscript describes astronomical observations. The latitudes that appear in the manuscript all relate to places in Angola. The five sheets described on two sides do not constitute an ongoing story. There is clearly a re-use of the paper to strengthen the carving. The manuscript is written in Dutch, in the I form and can be dated from the manuscript in the mid-17th century. The author of the manuscript regularly refers to chapter 11 from Cornelis Janszn's Treasury. by which De Schat-Kamer, Des Grooten Zee-vaerts-kunst: Containing De sekere gront-Regulen ende the right ghebruyck der voornemelickste dinghen that one should understand in the great Zee-vaert and which is meant by Cornelis Janszn Lastman van Vlielandt (first edition 1621) The cutting is inspired by the representation of Frans Post van Vrijburg as we know it from the engraving in the book of Caspar Barlaeus Rerum in Brasilia gestarum historia that appeared in 1647.

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