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Way of Carriage and Travelling in Kongo, from De Bry
Basire, John James - Enlarge image
Way of Carriage and Travelling in Kongo, from De Bry
- Object:
Print
- Place of origin:
London (printed and published)
- Date:
1750-1800 (printed and published)
- Artist/Maker:
Basire, John James (the elder), born 1730 - died 1802 (engraver)
Theodor de Bry, born 1528 - died 1598 (engraver) - Materials and Techniques:
Etching and engraving on paper
- Museum number:
19419
- Gallery location:
Prints & Drawings Study Room, level E, case S, shelf 16, box B
This print is based on an engraving by Theodor de Bry. De Bry was a Frankfurt goldsmith, engraver, print-seller and bookseller who chronicled many of the earliest European expeditions to the Americas. Beginning in 1590, de Bry and his sons brought out a series of translations of accounts of the New World from Spanish, French, English, Italian and Dutch sources. Each volume was accompanied by detailed graphic illustrations of indigenous customs, culture, warfare and historical events. Many were based on first hand observations making them a rare visual record of early contact between Europeans and the inhabitants of the New World. After de Bry’s death the series was extended to include voyages to Africa and Asia.
The de Bry series offered an eager European public an early glimpse of distant lands. The illustrations were hugely popular and were widely copied during the 17th and 18th centuries. This engraving appears to have been made by James Basire (1730-1802), a member of a London-based family of engravers, who served both as Engraver to the Society of Antiquaries and Engraver to the Royal Society.
