1573

German woodcut engraving entitled "Quomodo Franciscus Draco, Civitatem S. Dominico in Insula Hispani

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Documents Start Price:280.00 USD Estimated At:350.00 - 500.00 USD
German woodcut engraving entitled  Quomodo Franciscus Draco, Civitatem S. Dominico in Insula Hispani
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German woodcut engraving entitled "Quomodo Franciscus Draco, Civitatem S. Dominico in Insula Hispaniola Sitam Expugnauerit" (Francis Drake Attacks Santo Domingo) by Theodore de Bry, with Latin text as from a ca.-1602 publication of his Les Grands Voyages (Part VIII), hand-colored. 9" x 13-1/4". This striking bird's-eye view (based on a map by Baptista Boazio) of the Battle of Santo Domingo illustrates Sir Francis Drake's capture of the city on January 1, 1586. As the capital of Spanish America and the largest settlement in the New World at the time, Santo Domingo became a prime target during the Anglo-Spanish War. In the beginning, Queen Elizabeth I ordered Francis Drake to attack the Spanish in a preemptive strike on the New World. After attacking Vigo, Spain and Santiago in the Cape Verde Islands, Drake arrived in the Caribbean in late 1585. On January 1, 1586, Drake's ships entered the harbor and distracted the Spanish defenses. Meanwhile, Drake sent 800 soldiers under the command of Christopher Carleill to the west of the city where they would cut through the jungle and flank the defenses. The plan worked, Santo Domingo fell to the English, and, after a month's occupation, the city was ransomed back to the Spanish. This engraving shows Drake's ships in the harbor with his troops deployed to the west along with the trail they took to the city. A rather large and artistic "aligarta" is depicted in the lower right. Very good condition with light soiling and paper toning confined to the margins, right side backed with thin tissue paper to reinforce the edges, light pencil annotations on reverse.