Depicting a panoramic view of the roadstead of Dutch Batavia with ships in the foreground, this engraving was done by Giuseppe Filosi for Giambattista Albrizzi for the latter's publication of the Italian translation of Thomas Salmon's Modern HIstory, or the present state of all nations (1725-1739). Batavia, previously known as Jayakarta, was captured by the Verenigne Oostindische Compagnie (VOC, or the Dutch East India Company) in 1619, and subsequently became their seat of power in the Dutch East Indies.Thomas Salmon, a historical and geographical English writer, had likely visited Batavia during his travels to the East Indies in the late 17th century. HIs monumental work captured the attention of other readers in Europe, including the renowned Venetian publisher and cartographer Albrizzi, who started on a translation of Modern History around 1737 even before the entire set was finished.
