Bidspirit auction | (AMERICANA / INDIA). A Plan

(AMERICANA / INDIA). A Plan of Fort St. George and the City of Madras. Hand-colored copperplate engraved plan. With alpha-numeric keys and remarks on the points of interest in the area including the ”Jews Burying Place.” 5 x 8 inches (12.5 x 20.5 cm). (London: 1727) Interesting Jewish Caribbean - India connection. Madras (known today as Chennai) was founded in 1640. Shortly after, Jews began to settle there. Most of these Jews were of Portuguese origin and recent settlers in the Caribbean, their trade in coral brought them to India. They included members of families Henriques de Castro, Franco, Paiva and Porto. Jacques (Jaime) de Paiva (Pavia), originally from Amsterdam, was an early Jewish arrival and became a leader of the community. He established good relations with those in power and acquired several mines. He died in 1670 and was buried in the Jewish cemetery he established just outside the city’s Georgetown, in the area known as Peddanaickenpet. ”The Colony of Jewish Traders of Madraspatnam” established by Jacques de Paiva, Antonio do Porto, Pedro Pereira and Fernando Mendes Henriques encouraged Portuguese Jews to move from the Caribbean and settle in Madras. One of the city’s three aldermen was Alvaro da Fonseca who hailed from the Caribbean island of Nevis. The trading house Samuel de Castro moved from Curacao to Madras. See https://esefarad.com/? p=10147. For another (uncolored) version of this plan, see Kestenbaum Sale 85, lot 221.