Anonymous: The arrival of Van Spilbergen in Kandy (1644 - 1646)

(Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

An engraving by an unknown Dutch artist, after a print by the Dutch artist Balthasar Florisz. van Berckenrode (1591-1645). This print shows a scene from an expedition of Joris van Spilbergen (1568 – 1620), a Dutch naval officer. Van Spilbergen set sail to Asia in 1601 and arrived in May 1602 he arrived in Sri Lanka. There he visited king Vimaladharmasūriya I of Kandy (reign 1592-1604) and discussed the possibility of trade in cinnamon. The print shows Van Spilbergen arriving in the royal palace in the capitol of the kingdom, the city of Kandy. Engraving from 1644-1646.