De Stadt Allegona, op’t Eylandt Groot Canaria, in den Jaar 1599 vermeestert

Original antique engraving of the city of Alegona, on the island of Gran Canaria, made by Jan Luyken and published in Leiden in 1681. The image depicts the conquest of this city by the Dutch in 1599. The engraving shows the fortified city located along the coast, with buildings and defensive walls. In the foreground, several ships and troops are shown landing on the beach, illustrating the moment of the military assault. In the background, the profile of the island’s mountains can be seen. The siege of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria took place between June 26 and July 4, 1599, by the Dutch fleet under the States of Holland and West Friesland, commanded by Pieter van der Does. This action was part of the Eighty Years’ War, in which the northern provinces of the Netherlands rose against Philip II. Gran Canaria was key in Holland’s plans for its future settlements in the West and East Indies. Jan Luyken was a Dutch engraver and draughtsman active in Amsterdam and Leiden during the second half of the 17th century. Copper engraving.