'PASCAERT VAN 'T EYLAND CEYLON, VOORDESEN TAPROBANA, BY DE INWOONDERS GENAEMT LANKAUN' BY JOANNES VAN KEULEN, MET PRIVILEGIE VOOR 15 JAAR

(Sea chart of Ceylon, previously called Taprobana and by its inhabitors Lankaun, by Johannes van Keulen with privilege for 15 years)

 

Published in the 'Zee Atlas' of 1682

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H. 52 x W. 60 cm

Note:

The Portuguese settled on the coast of Sri Lanka (Ceylon) already in 1518, attracted by the richness of the island in pearls, precious stones, ivory, cinnamon and pepper. In 1638 the VOC conquered Batticaloa on the east coast, Galle in 1640, Colombo
in 1656 and finally drove the Portuguese completely from the island in 1658 with the conquest of Jaffna. In 1796 the English replaced the Dutch on Sri Lanka (Ceylon), but all the time the kingdom of Kandy in the interior remained independent.

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