A Dutch Panorama of St Helena from 1787

This magnificent panorama of St Helena - over 1 metre long - was painted by the Dutch clergyman and watercolourist, Jan Brandes (1743-1808) in March 1787. Brandes was a passenger on the Dutch East India Company ship, the Zeepaard, on his return voyage from Batavia, where he had been chaplain to the colonial Lutheran congregation for several years. He was an avid diarist, and sketched or painted something of his surroundings nearly every day of his travels. Over 570 of these pictures are now preserved in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam - a wonderfully colourful and inventive collection of shipping scenes, natural history paintings, portraits, landscapes and domestic scenes.

The panorama shows the view from Brandes's vessel, which is anchored between two others of the Dutch squadron, the Scheldt (on the left) and the Diamond (on the right). In between them a barge from the Zeepaard heads for St Helena, probably to take on water. To the right are three English ships and a Swedish ship. The painting is especially interesting for its clear delineation of the island's fortifications, including a very smart looking Munden's Battery to the left of Jamestown, where the red roof of the castle can be seen and, behind it, the tower of St. James's Church.

Visit the Rijksmuseum's Collections page to view the panorama in detail (Ref. NG-2012-42) - and also to explore Jan Brandes's other paintings: https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection 

Tip: a search on 'Sint-Helena' will pull up some other interesting images too. The Rijksmuseum's online collection is a wonderful resource - and free to use, too.