Godfried Friedrich Riedel.

Cape Town
Vue du Premontoir de Bonne Esperance avec le Port et chateaux au point d'Afrique proche du table du Lion et du Diable

16.5 x 12 inches

In this fascinating prospect of Cape Town and Table Mountain we are transported back to a time before the British arrived when the port was an important staging post for the Dutch East India Company. The settlement was established by Jan van Riebeck in 1652 and remained under Dutch control until the British took over in 1795 so the view we see here is faithful to the original C17th development. Dominating the bay is, of course, the internationally renowned Table Mountain with its famous flat top. In its wake we see the town built very much along European lines with the 1665 Dutch Reformed Church at its centre. The two promontories either side of Table Mountain are The Lion's Head and The Devil's Peak. Also of note is the fortress, seen here on the east of the bay, built originally as a mainly administrative centre but as things hotted up taking on a much more significant military and defensive role. Those familiar with Cape Town may well be puzzled by all the topographical features appearing to be in reverse but, don.t forget, this is an optical view (or Vue d.Optique) intended to be seen through a mirror and a lens. The original purpose of the port was to act as a staging post for the resupplying of Dutch ships sailing back and forth from Holland to the East Indies but as time went on its strategic position leant it much greater international significance.