Itinerary: Voyage to the East or Portuguese Indies (1596) - Page 14

A color-tinted engraving features a central oval portrait of Jan Huygen van Linschoten. He is shown from the chest up, facing slightly left, with a light-colored beard and mustache. He wears a high white ruff and a golden-brown doublet with patterned sleeves. To his right is a small coat of arms featuring a chevron and three birds. The portrait is framed by an oval border with an inscription and is set within a large, ornate cartouche. In the four corners of the cartouche are smaller oval vignettes. The top left shows a coastal view labeled Goa, depicting the city and ships in the harbor. The top right shows a map of the island of Mozambique with fortifications and naval details. The bottom left shows a view of the island of Saint Helena with ships and a prominent compass rose. The bottom right provides another coastal view of Saint Helena. The cartouche is decorated with scrolls and ribbon motifs.

TO ENDURE TO SUCCEED

Original French: "Souffrir pour parvenir." This was Linschoten's personal motto, suggesting that his success was the result of the hardships he endured during his travels.

Inscription around the central portrait border:
JAN HUYGHEN VAN LINSCHOTEN OF HAARLEM, AGED 32, IN THE YEAR 1595. L.C. MADE THIS.
The Latin text reads "Jan Huygen van Linschoten Haerlemensis Aeta 32 A° 1595." The initials "LC fe" refer to the engraver Lambert Cornelisz.

GOA Goa was the capital of the Portuguese State of India. THE CITY OF GOA Our Lady of Piety Chorão An island in the Mandovi River near Goa. MOZAMBIQUE Mainland Saint Anthony The Fort Saint John of the Dominicans Cemetery Saint Gabriel Fortress Our Lady of the Bastion Saint Helena Saint Helena

Here Linschoten gives us the Eastern World,

And the plate, engraved by a skillful hand, gives us Linschoten.

This Latin couplet links the author's physical appearance to the knowledge he provides. The "Eastern World" refers to the Portuguese maritime empire in Asia which the book describes.