Boten voor een kust en een Chinese offerplechtigheid in een landschap c. 1660

Wouter Schouten created this pen drawing titled 'Boats near a coast and a Chinese sacrificial ceremony in a landscape' in the 17th century. Schouten worked for the Dutch East India Company, and his drawings offer a glimpse into the complex relationship between the Dutch and the regions they colonized. The drawing is divided into scenes, contrasting Dutch ships and figures with a detailed depiction of a Chinese sacrificial ceremony. As a viewer, we are positioned as outsiders looking in on the customs and rituals of the Chinese people, framed through the eyes of a colonizer. The act of drawing itself becomes a form of cultural translation, filtering unfamiliar practices through a Western lens. Schouten's work invites us to consider the power dynamics inherent in representation and the ways in which cultural encounters are shaped by historical and political contexts. How does the artist's identity as a member of the Dutch East India Company influence his portrayal?