According to the stamp the vessel depict is the AMSTERDAM, but exactly the same vessel as on the stamp, you can find on a painting of Cornelisz Vroom, now in the Amsterdams Historisch Museum, which shows us the return of the Second Fleet from the East Indies at Amsterdam on 26 July 1599 (the year on the stamp)
On the painting you will find from the left to the right the following vessels, HOLLANDIA, MAURITIUS, OVERIJSEL and VRIESLANT.
The vessel on the left of the painting is the HOLLANDIA and she is depict on the stamp, even the gondola in the foreground of the stamp is the same as on the painting.
The HOLLANDIA was built in 1594 at the Uylenburg yard at Amsterdam for account of the Companie van Verre at Amsterdam ( later the VOC.)
She was ca. 460 tons and carried an armament of seven 8ft long 24 pdrs., 14 cast guns and 10 cannon-periers.
Crew 85 men under command of Jan Dignumsz van Quadijk signed on at 4 March 1595 at Amsterdam.
The HOLLANDIA was part of the First Fleet from the Zeven Provincies (Netherland) to the East Indies, the other three vessels were the MAURITIUS (sistership), AMSTERDAM 260 tons and the pinnace DUYFKEN of 50 tons.
The fleet was under command of Cornelius de Houtman, and sailed from TEXEL on 2 April 1595. After a voyage of much hardship and making calls for fresh water and provisions at Ilha da Maio (Cabo Verde), Aguado de Sao Braz (later named by Admiral Paulis van Caerden, Mosselbaai (Musselbay) after he entered this bay with his ships, and the crews could only find mussels.)
The fleet set then course for the island Madagascar, two anchorages on the west coast, the first anchorage a place without any fresh food and water was called by the men “ Dutch Graveyard”, after many crewmembers who died there, were buried ashore.
The skipper of the HOLLANDIA died there on scurvy on 29 September 1595. His successor was the skipper of the DUYFKEN, Symen Lambertsz Mau. The only skipper of the fleet, which did see his homeland again. The skippers of the MAURITIUS and AMSTERDAM also died on this voyage.
(Mau was born in 1558, and after a long career at sea, lost his life when his vessel he was captain of was lost on 6 March 1615 in bad weather when entering Port Louis, Mauritius.)
From the west coast of Madagascar the fleet sailed to the east coast of the island, where she anchored on two anchorages.
They sailed from the last anchorage, Antongil Bay on 12 February 1596, setting course to Sunda Strait, and just around the NW point of Java, the fleet dropped anchor on 27 June 1596 on the roads of Bantam.
Sailing from Bantam on 6 November 1596 after a more or less successful purchase of spices, they set sail along the coast of Java in a easterly direction with the intention to buy more spices.
On 11 January 1597 AMSTERDAM was set on fire, the vessel started heavily leaking after grounding, and could no longer be used. The crew was divided amongst the other vessels of the fleet.
The fleet passed between Bali and the mainland of Java and set then course to the Cape of Good Hope on 26 February 1597, homeward bound.
On 25 may 1597 the fleet passed St Helena, but after seeing 4 Portuguese carracks in the anchorage, they decided not to enter, the crews on the Dutch vessels were to weak to fight against the Portuguese ships.
The three vessels were off Texel on 10 August 1597, but bad weather forced them to anchor off Petten. The HOLLANDIA lost one anchor.
On 11 August the MAURITIUS and DUYFKEN heaved up anchors and sailed to Texel, but the crew on board HOLLANDIA were so weak they could not heave in the anchor. In the evening when the weather deteriorated, the crew had to cut away the mainmast, when her anchor started to drag.
On 14 August the weather improved and the pilot and some men came out. With the help of these men HOLLANDIA sailed to Texel where she arrived the same day.
Of the 249 men of the crew that sailed out with the fleet in 1595, only 89 arrived back at Texel in 1597.
Most of the crew had died on scurvy.
The HOLLANDIA and MAURITIUS joined the Second Fleet under command of Jacob van Neck, four vessels under his command, the other two were OVERIJSEL and VRIESLANT, they set sail on 1 May 1598 to the East Indies. This fleet arrived back at Texel on 19 July 1599. When the fleet arrived at Amsterdam on 26 July, Vroom made his painting.
The HOLLANDIA was then part of the fleet of Jacob Wilckens which sailed out on 12 December 1599 to the East Indies. HOLLANDIA was back in her homeport Amsterdam in June 1602 under command of Cornelis van Eemdkerk, who was a cadet in the First Fleet.
Then the HOLLANDIA disappeared, I don’t know here fate.
The painting you can see on line when you are goining to http://www.ahm.nl/
of the Amsterdams Historish Museum.
Click on museum, then on collection, look in the collection quick menu 1500-1600, scroll down the page and you find the painting after clicking on the thumbnail of the painting which give: Return to Amsterdam of the Second Expedition to the East Indies 1599.
Republic Malagasy 1992 800f sg905, scott1019.
Source De Eerste Scheepvaart der Hollanders naar Oost-Indie 1595-1597.