Hippotragus equinus (Roan antelope)

Robert Jacob Gordon created this drawing of a Roan antelope in the late 18th century. As a military commander in the Dutch East India Company, Gordon’s artistic and scientific pursuits were deeply embedded in the colonial project. Consider the dual purpose of this image. It serves as a scientific record, meticulously detailing the antelope's physical characteristics, but it also represents the assertion of European authority over the natural world. Gordon's work contributes to a visual archive used to classify and control the resources of the Cape. The detailed annotations surrounding the image show the institutional framework and scientific methods of that era. To fully understand this drawing, one must look at the complex interplay between scientific exploration, colonial expansion, and the representation of the ‘other’. Historical documents, such as the records of the Dutch East India Company, can shed light on the economic and political motivations behind such expeditions and artworks.