The first edition, first state of three, of an extremely rare and important sea chart depicting the Gulf of Mexico from the coast of the Yucatan peninsula to approximately the Sabine River, with the west to the top. The area noticeably left out of Roggeveen’s charts is the west coast of Florida. There had not been any major activity here for over 100 years. We owe Arent Roggeveen a great debt, without his atlas entitled ‘Het Brandende Veen’, much of the knowledge of the powerful Dutch West India Company would have been lost. The atlas is significant also in being the first maritime atlas devoted to the Americas. Roggeveen was born in Delfshaven, and moved to Middelburg in 1658, an important centre of shipping and commerce. Skilled at mathematics, navigation, and surveying he taught the pilots of both the Dutch West and East India Companies.

“One of the most important of Roggeveen’s charts, the first Dutch one of the region and the most detailed chart of the present-day Texan coastline to date. Like others in the atlas its source is the archives of the Dutch West India Company, most specifically those of Hessel Gerritsz. Indeed, the latter had published a chart c.1631, following a voyage to the Americas, and there are many similarities. His map is of extreme rarity surviving in only three known examples. Like the previous entry these waters carried the great Spanish flotillas which drained the New World of its riches. The Rio Grande River appears as the Rio Bravo.” (Burden).

“With his connections at the Dutch West India Company, Roggeveen had access to all of the manuscript charts at their disposal. It must not be presumed that the company’s charts were all their own. Indeed, many were undoubtedly Spanish in origin. In the book Roggeveen tells us that over twenty years he formed a large collection of manuscript charts. Either way much of the knowledge they contained would not have survived to today without Roggeveen-s Het Brandende Veen. The word Veen, as well as being part of the author’s name, means ‘fen’ in English. The English translation, ‘The Burning Fen’, refers to the practice of burning peat along the coastline to act as beacons for passing ships, indeed the title page illustrates one. Roggeveen’s work was the first of two parts intended as the fourth and fifth of Pieter Goos’ Zeespiegel. A Privilege was granted to Goos on 19 March 1668, at which time they were apparently ready. The reason for the delay in publication is unknown, the first part relating to America did not appear until 1675. Goos died in 1675 and the business passed to his widow who herself died in 1677. Their son, Hendrik, then continued the business and it is assumed that sometime before 1680 he sold the plates of the Brandende Veen to Jacob Robijn, as an edition about this time contains the plates with Robijn imprints but a title page still utilising the Goos name.” (Burden). Burden (1996) no. 236; Burden (2007) no. 453; Koeman (1967-70) IV Rog 1 no. 17; A. E. Nordenskiöld Collection (1979) no. 247; Taliaferro (1988) no. 55.