In the days before wireless communication, ships had to relay messages to each other via signals, hand if really close up, but more often by flag to be seen at any distance. Item 54 is a signal book circa 1736, The sailing and fighting instructions or signals as they are observed in the Royal Navy of Great Britain. It contains 66 engraved plates, each with two images of old battleships displaying their flags in various positions. €950 (US $1,303).
Item 101 is a watercolor depicting the sinking of an American ship off the coast of Den Helder in the Netherlands. The Janson departed Providence, Rhode Island, for Amsterdam on February 28, 1819. The first time, she made it all right. The ship then proceeded to Batavia, Surabayo, and back to Amsterdam. It was that return to Holland that didn't turn out so well. She was carrying a cargo of coffee and rice when she sank on February 4, 1820. Apparently, it all ended up in the sea, though Captain Benjamin Mayo and his crew all made it to safety. The painting Het zinken van het Amerikaanse schip Janosn voor de Helder (the loss of the American ship Janson off the coast of Den Helder) was created by Dutch marine artist Jan Mooij. It shows three ships, but they are all the Janson, in various stages of distress. The last of the three shows her mostly under water while the crew escapes on lifeboats. €4,950 (US $6,804).
Gert Jan Bestebreurtje Rare Books may be reached at +31 (0)347 322 548 or info@gertjanbestebreurtje.com. Their website is www.gertjanbestebreurtje.com.
