Luanda, Optical Precision, and Cannibalism: Georg Marcgrave and the History of the South Atlantic.

Abstract

The purpose of this contribution is, first, to reconstruct some historical aspects of George Marcgrave’s live and death in the context of the “Dutch period” in the South Atlantic. Why did he go to Brazil and died in Angola in January of 1644? Marcgrave’s overseas experiences will be framed within the dynamic development of optical precision and connected with his talents as an illustrator of natural history. Then, as a last issue, I will inquire into Marcgrave’s relationship with the trope of cannibalism, related to the inventory of the naturalia and artificialia cabinets, which preceded modern sciences and, simultaneously, lay at their base.