Battle at Buttugaris, Brazil

Summary

This engraving contains a depiction of a battle in Buttugaris, Brazil. There are three large warships firing cannons at each other near a beach. On the beach, there are people fighting with clubs and bow-and-arrows. There is a large fort or settlement near the beach and a forest. The work is in black-and-white and realistic with a moderate amount of detail.

Author

The artist of this work is Theodor de Bry and it was created in 1593. Theodor de Bry was born in 1528 in Belgium and lived until 1598. He owned an engraving and publishing business and created works depicting events in Europe, the East and West Indies, and South America.

In this work, there is very little depiction of the people within Brazil and its culture. Rather, the engraving is meant to depict a battle between French ships. This limits any negative depictions of Brazil and creates a neutral perspective. However, the people fighting in the background are shown in a stereotypical fashion. They are portrayed as naked men fighting with “primitive” weapons in a chaotic and unorganized manner. This is a stereotypical representation of Brazilian people in this period and promotes the myth that the Brazilian population at this time was less advanced than their European counterparts.

Connection to History

During the Encounter period, Portugal slowly became involved in Brazil. From their first encounter in the early 1500s to around the 1530s, there were very few Portuguese people living there other than Jesuits and missionaries. However in the 1530s when France became more involved in Brazil, Portugal became focused on conquering the land. This transition of Portuguese influence in Brazil is depicted in this work as there is a battle between the French and natives and very little settlement on the land.

Works Cited

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Theodor de Bry.” Encyclopedia Britannica, January 1, 2021. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Theodor-de-Bry.

Johannes Staden of Hessen fights with French ship at Buttugaris, Brazil. , 1593. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2007677243/.