Kunstdruck Kapstadt, Westküste und Abbildung vom Tafelberg     Bestellnummer: NLSA0003 Grösse: 21 cm X 29,7 cm Preis: Rand 200 plus Postgebühren von Südafrika   Formate Printgrösse Preis in Rand Décor * 210 x 297mm 200 Studio 297 x 420mm 330 Gallery        329 x 483mm  460 Museum  610 x 865mm  1160   Extras Preis in Rand Gallery - Limited Edition 260 Museum  - Limited Edition 260   * standard size Postgebühr wird nach Gewicht berechnet.   Original: Johan Nieuhoff (1618-1672) 'Caerte vande Cabo de Bona Esperance' ' (1682) Map, 27 x 35 cm, slightly coloured. Scale in Dutch miles, English and French leagues. Inset: View of Table Mountain.   Johan Nieuhoff was a Dutch traveller to the East and one time Governor of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). He visited the Cape in 1653, 1659 and 1671/2. His travels were published posthumously.   This early map of the Cape of Good Hope is the original Dutch map which first appeared in Johan Nieuhoff's travel book of 1682. In the Dutch version the initials J.N. (Johan Nieuhoff) appear after the title of the map but they are not present in the English edition. The cartouche consists of an animal skin, bearing the description, supported by some natives. The one on the left stands in front of some palms with, to his right, a block of masonry which frames the Table Bay inset. Next to him, behind the title, another native stands holding a bow and a spear. On the right are two more natives. On the left in front of the masonry is a lion looking at a view of Table Mountain and Table Bay. There are two ships in the foreground, and the Fort and the various parts of the mountain are labelled. In the lower right corner the scale is presented on what appears to be a low wall behind which a European with a plumed hat is seated, talking to a native carrying some kind of stick with a cross piece at the end.   The mainland is dotted with elephants, a lion, a rhinoceros, ostriches, snakes, tortoises, etc., but domes-tic cows and sheep also make their appearance. There are two ships in False Bay (labelled `Table Bay') and in the Atlantic. The compass rose indicates that west and not north is at the top of the map. The most interesting caption refers to the land granted to free burgher at the Cape which is marked 'Uytgedeelt Land' (distributed land).   This map is of particular interest as it is the best-known early map of the Cape and because it shows not only the canal between Table Bay and False Bay proposed by Commissionar-General Rijckloff van Goens, but also the route of one of the early exploring expeditions (it is marked ‘Rey's wech door ons volck int Land gedaen'). Although the above mentioned canal was not constructed, an engraving of the Cape does exist showing ships coming out of the canal into the bay. The idea behind that canal was to separate the Cape peninsular from the mainland. The problem at the Cape was the theft of cattle by the local Khoikhoi. Van Riebeeck already planted a hedge to keep the Khoikhoi out of the settlement and to discourage illegal trading. But it never proofed to be successful. In Amsterdam, the ‘Heeren XVII' (the board of 17 directors; nominated from the richest merchants of the community) of the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC) thought about another way to keep the Khoikhoi out: why not convert the Cape into in island by digging a canal from Table Bay to False Bay? That idea was so popular that it showed up on maps. At the end the cost of the canal put a halt to that development – needles to say: they were merchants.