Allegorie op de West-Indische en Oost-Indische Compagnie 1726

This is Bernard Picart’s Allegory on the West- and East India Companies, made as an engraving some time between 1700 and 1733. At first glance, the composition overwhelms with its density and detail, but it quickly reveals a carefully constructed hierarchy. The idealized figures of commerce and governance sit enthroned at the composition's heart, flanked by exotic flora and fauna. The ships, the people, the goods – all cascade around these central figures, directing our reading of the image. The print invites us to decode a complex semiotic system. Each element—from the exotic goods to the racialized figures—functions as a signifier within the broader context of Dutch mercantile power. The formal arrangement isn't merely decorative; it actively constructs a narrative of dominance and legitimacy. Note how the artist has made strategic choices about perspective and depth. The receding ships draw the eye into an expansive background, suggesting limitless horizons for colonial expansion. The print, with its formal precision, thus functions as a potent piece of ideological machinery.