Chinese man en een tot slaaf gemaakte bediende 1682 - 1711

Editor: This is "Chinese man en een tot slaaf gemaakte bediende" or "Chinese man and an enslaved servant," an engraving made sometime between 1682 and 1711 by Pieter Schenk, housed in the Rijksmuseum. The contrast between the two figures is stark, highlighting what seems to be an imbalance of power. What can you tell us about this work's historical context? Curator: The print serves as a potent visual artifact reflecting early European perceptions and the construction of "otherness" in the Baroque era. How are these figures framed within a burgeoning globalized society dependent on trade routes and colonial ambitions? Editor: I see... So the composition isn’t just about portraying two individuals, but also communicating the prevailing power structures of the time? Curator: Precisely. Note the “Chinese man’s” attire, his posture of command. Consider then how these kinds of prints might have functioned to shape public understanding and justification of social hierarchies back in Europe. Did they encourage certain attitudes, for instance? Editor: Yes, that makes me think about how the “exotic” East was depicted, and how prints like this reinforced stereotypes. It’s interesting to think of art not just as an aesthetic object, but as a tool for social conditioning. Curator: It's important to ask: whose story does the artwork prioritize, and whose voices are silenced in its narrative? Furthermore, where and for whom was this image circulating? This provides us with an interesting and very troubling understanding of how historical European society understood globalization. Editor: I had not thought of it that way before. It gives a new perspective on understanding these artworks, considering their production and societal impact. Thanks! Curator: Absolutely. By unpacking the visual politics embedded in seemingly simple portraits, we can critically engage with the power dynamics of the past and present.