Table Of ContentTHOMAS DACOSTA KAUFMANN
AND MICHAEL NORTH (EDS.)
Mediating
Netherlandish Art and
Material Culture
in Asia
amsterdam studies in the dutch golden age
Mediating Netherlandish Art and Material Culture in Asia
Amsterdam Studies in the Dutch Golden Age
Editorial Board
H. Perry Chapman, University of Delaware
Lia van Gemert, University of Amsterdam
Benjamin J. Kaplan, University College London
Henk van Nierop, University of Amsterdam
Eric Jan Sluijter, University of Amsterdam
Marc van Vaeck, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Mediating Netherlandish Art and
Material Culture in Asia
Thomas DaCosta Kaufmann and Michael North (eds.)
Amsterdam University Press
Founded in 2000 as part of the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Amsterdam
(UvA), the Amsterdam Centre for Study of the Golden Age (Amsterdams Centrum voor
de Studie van de Gouden Eeuw) aims to promote the history and culture of the Dutch
Republic during the ‘long’ seventeenth century (c. 1560-1720). The Centre’s publica-
tions provide an insight into lively diversity and continuing relevance of the Dutch
Golden Age. They offer original studies on a wide variety of topics, ranging from
Rembrandt to Vondel, from Beeldenstorm (iconoclastic fury) to Ware Vrijheid (True
Freedom) and from Batavia to New Amsterdam. Politics, religion, culture, economics,
expansion and warfare all come together in the Centre’s interdisciplinary setting.
Editorial control is in the hands of international scholars specialised in seventeenth-
century history, art and literature. For more information see www.aup.nl/goude-
neeuw or http://cf.uba.uva.nl/goudeneeuw/.
The publication of this book has been made possible by grants from the Barr Ferree
Publication Fund, Department of Art and Archaeology, Princeton University, the
Ernst Mortiz Arndt University, Greifswald, the De Gijselaar-Hintzenfonds, the Gravin
van Bylandtstichting, and the Louise Thijssen-Schoute Stichting.
Cover illustration: Mu’in Musawwir, Portrait of Riza-y ‘Abassi, Drawing a European,
1673. Firestone Library, Princeton University.
Cover design: Kok Korpershoek, Amsterdam
Lay-out: Crius Group, Hulshout
Amsterdam University Press English-language titles are distributed in the US and
Canada by the University of Chicago Press.
isbn 978 90 8964 569 2
e-isbn 978 90 4851 986 6
nur 640
© All authors / Amsterdam University Press b.v., Amsterdam 2014
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no
part of this book may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise) without the written permission of both the copyright owner
and the author of the book.
Every effort has been made to obtain permission to use all copyrighted illustrations
reproduced in this book. Nonetheless, whosoever believes to have rights to this
material is advised to contact the publisher.
Contents
Preface 7
Introduction 9
Mediating Cultures
Thomas DaCosta Kaufmann and Michael North
1 Terms of Reception 25
Europeans and Persians and Each Other’s Art
Gary Schwartz
2 Reconfiguring the Northern European Print to Depict Sacred History at the
Persian Court 65
Amy S. Landau
3 Dutch Cemeteries in South India 83
Martin Krieger
4 Coasts and Interiors of India 95
Early Modern Indo-Dutch Cross-Cultural Exchanges
Ranabir Chakravarti
5 Art and Material Culture in the Cape Colony and Batavia 111
in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries
Michael North
6 Indische Architecture in Indonesia 129
Peter J. M. Nas
7 The Cultural Dimension of the Dutch East India Company 141
Settlements in Dutch-Period Ceylon, 1700-1800 – With Special Reference to Galle
Lodewijk Wagenaar
8 European Artists in the Service of the Dutch East India Company 177
Marten Jan Bok
9 Scratching the Surface 205
The Impact of the Dutch on Artistic and Material Culture in Taiwan and China
Thomas DaCosta Kaufmann
10 The Dutch Presence in Japan 239
The VOC on Deshima and Its Impact on Japanese Culture
Matthi Forrer and Yoriko Kobayashi-Sato
11 From Optical Prints to Ukie to Ukiyoe 245
The Adoption and Adaptation of Western Linear Perspective in Japan
Matthi Forrer
12 Japan’s Encounters with the West through the VOC 267
Western Paintings and Their Appropriation in Japan
Yoriko Kobayashi-Sato
13 “To Capture Their Favor” 291
On Gift-Giving by the VOC
Cynthia Viallé
14 Circulating Art and Material Culture 321
A Model of Transcultural Mediation
Astrid Erll
Illustration Credits 329
Index 337
Preface
This book is the result of years of planning, Without his inspiration and energy the theme
research and writing. It initiated out of dis- group would never have come into existence.
cussions held after a session of the Twentieth We still remember the intensive research and
International Congress of Historical Sciences, lively discussions of the group and other NIAS-
Sydney, Australia, whose papers have been fellows. Consequently another colleague from
published in Artistic and Cultural Exchanges NIAS and subsequently scholars elsewhere
between Europe and Asia, 1400-1900. Rethinking were asked to contribute to the collection of
Markets, Workshops and Collections, ed. Michael essays in this volume.
North, Farnham, Surrey, and Burlington, From the beginning this book has been a
Vermont, Ashgate, 2010. Thomas DaCosta Kauf- collective undertaking, which could not have
mann and Michael North ideated a research been realized without the active assistance
program that would continue the direction of several people and institutions in addition
suggested in their introduction to that volume. to those already mentioned or cited in the
The Princeton Institute for International essays. Gary Schwartz “Englished” the texts
and Regional Studies (PIIRS) granted funds of the non-native speakers. Thomas DaCosta
that enabled many of the authors of essays Kaufmann would like to acknowledge the
in the present volume and other scholars to assistance of Cynthia Huong, Cary Liu, and
come to Princeton University in March, 2008 Jamie Kwan with texts in Chinese; of the
to participate in a planning seminar. This was Spears Fund of Princeton University, the
followed by a similar seminar supported by Academia Sinica, Taiwan Normal University,
the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study the National Taiwan University and colleagues
(NIAS) held in Wassenaar, October, 2008. The in those institutions who supported his travel
support of PIIRS and NIAS is here gratefully and assisted his research on two trips to China
acknowledged. and Taiwan; to Chen Liu for her assistance in
The seminar participants then formed a China; and to Elizabeth Osenbaugh and Jamie
theme group “The Reception of Netherlandish Kwan for general research and production aid.
Art in the Indian Ocean Region and East Asia, Michael North is indebted to Alexander Drost
and its Impact on Asian Cultures”, organized by und Jörg Driesner for archival research in the
Michael North and Marten Jan Bok, for which Arsip Nasional (Jakarta) and to Antonia Malan,
the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study Laura Mitchell, Susan Newton-King and Nigel
(NIAS) provided a host in Wassenaar from Worden for their help and comments in his
September, 2009 to January, 2010. Papers by research on Cape Town, and acknowledges his
members of the theme group and several other greatest debts to the members of the Greifswald
guest scholars were presented at a symposium team consisting of Doreen Wollbrecht, Robert
held at NIAS in January, 2010; in most instances Riemer, Hielke van Nieuwenhuize, Friederike
they represented preliminary versions of what Schmidt, Sven Ristau, Eric Ladenthin, Richard
appears in the present book. For the invitation Höter, Maik Fiedler and Jörn Sander, who bore
to NIAS we would like to offer our warmest the brunt of work on the final production of the
thanks to its rector Prof. Wim Blockmans. book with great commitment. They not only
8 Thomas DaCosTa Kaufmann anD miChael norTh
edited the manuscript and read the proofs, but like to thank the De Gijselaar-Hintzenfonds,
also compiled the index. the Gravin van Bylandtstichting, and the
We are grateful for grants in support of the Louise Thijssen-Schoute Stichting for their
publication from the Barr Ferree Publication financial support.
Fund, Department of Art and Archaeology,
Princeton University, and the Ernst Moritz Thomas DaCosta Kaufmann and Michael North
Arndt University, Greifswald. Finally we would Princeton and Greifswald, Winter 2014
Introduction
Mediating Cultures
Thomas DaCosta Kaufmann and Michael North
The Dutch East India Company (VOC) has drawing attention to the VOC in this context
long attracted the attention of scholarship. Its as well.11 Monographic exhibitions and related
lengthy history, widespread enterprises, and the publications on several artists who were active
survival of massive amounts of documentation in Dutch settlements in Africa and Asia have
– literally 1,200 meters of essays pertaining to also appeared.12 The broader material culture
the VOC may be found in the National Archives of the world of the VOC, and especially the
in The Hague, and many more documents are Cape Colony, has also come into focus.13 Some
scattered in archives throughout Asia and in historians of Dutch seventeenth-century art
South Africa – have stimulated many works and architecture now situate their subjects in
on economic and social history.1 Important relation to the network of trade that was spun
publications have also appeared on the trade,2 by the VOC.14 Still, the reciprocal effects of
shipping,3 institutional organization,4 and Dutch visual and material culture on Asiatic
administration of the VOC.5 Much has also civilizations remain largely unstudied.15
been learned about the VOC and Dutch colonial This situation provides the backdrop for the
societies.6 Moreover, the TANAP (Towards a present collection of essays, the fruit of much
New Age of Partnership, 2000-2007) project discussion and collaboration. In 2005 a team of
has created momentum for research on the scholars was formed to study artistic produc-
relationship between the VOC and indigenous tion and reception in relation to commerce
societies.7 between the Netherlands and the Indian Ocean
In contrast, the role of the VOC in cultural region.16 As it developed, the composition of
history and especially in the history of visual the group changed, and it was recognized that
and material culture has not yet attracted com- the comparable impact of Asia upon Europe in
parable interest.8 To be sure, journals and other general and on Dutch art and material culture
travel accounts (some even with illustrations) in particular was much better known than
by soldiers, shippers, and VOC officials among the converse, as several essays within suggest.
others have been utilized as sources.9 But the Hence it was decided to emphasize the question
studies based on them have not been primarily of the possible Dutch (and more broadly Neth-
art or cultural historical in character. Books erlandish) impact on those areas in which the
such as those by J. De Loos-Haaxman on art, VOC operated from the Cape of Good Hope to
artists, and collections in the Netherlands East the Sea of Japan. The research group coalesced
Indies have thus until quite recently been the in 2009-2010 at the Netherlands Institute for
exception, not the rule.10 Advanced Studies (NIAS) in Wassenaar to
However, since 2000 several major exhibi- study the issues involved.
tions have dramatically brought European- The essays by this group and its external
Asian cultural encounters into the limelight, collaborators represent the results of their
