Regnum Congo. Vera Descriptio Regni Africani, Quod Tam Abincolis Quam Lusitanis Congus appellatur….

Frankfurt, Wolfgang Richter, 1598, folio (300 x 200mm), crushed Morocco gilt by Pratt, with Engraved Title-Page, Engraved Arms of Frederick IV, 2 folding engraved maps on 3 sheets and 14 half page engraved plates.

Pigafetta’s report of the Kingdom of Congo and of the Surrounding Countries) 1591 was translated into English, Latin (as Regnum Congo), French, Dutch, and German.

In it Pigafetta explains that he was ordered by Pope Sixtus V to transcribe the account of Duarte Lopez, a Portuguese trader who had spent twelve years in the Congo. Lopez’s narrative gives a detailed account of his voyage on his uncle’s ship, and the history and geography of the kingdom of Congo and its six administrative regions under the rule of its king (named by Lopez ‘Don Alvarez’). The account demonstrates the extent of Portuguese exploration across West Africa in the sixteenth century, of which later explorers were unaware

Duarte Lopes travelled within central Africa, in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola, starting in 1578. After several successful merchant voyages, Lopes was appointed as ambassador for Congo’s king, Alvaro II, to Spain (which was then unified with Portugal). Lopes replaced Sebastian da Costa, who had died on his return trip to report to Philip II of Spain.

While ambassador, Lopes sought out mineral specimens to share with his European contacts in the hope they would yield gold, silver, or another precious metal. He also opened the region to trade with Portugal and Spain, a major advantage for the vast Spanish Empire. Finally, Lopes vowed to lobby the Pope to send missionaries to Central Africa.

On his return trip from Congo, Lopes was shipwrecked on the coast of Venezuela. After a year marooned there, he returned to Europe to continue to fight for his causes, although the calls went unheeded. He returned to Congo in 1589 and was never heard from again.

Before he disappeared, however, Lopes told Filippo Pigafetta (ca. 1533-1604) the story of his travels and gave him a single manuscript map. Pigafetta was a historian who traveled extensively. He also served as a Chamberlain to Pope Sextus, a position that would give him access to information and a certain measure of power in Roman society.