Een zittende Creool before 1839

This painted sculpture of a seated Creole man was created in the late 18th or early 19th century by Gerrit Schouten, an artist working in Suriname. Schouten was known for his meticulously detailed depictions of Surinamese life and culture. The figure’s clothing, a combination of European and local styles, speaks to the complex cultural interactions of the time. Suriname, as a Dutch colony, was a site of extensive trade and plantation agriculture, built on the labour of enslaved Africans. The sculpture then, raises questions about representation and power. How does Schouten, as an artist of European descent, portray this Creole man, who would have occupied a different social position? What does the figure’s posture and expression convey about his status and identity? To understand this work, it is crucial to delve into the history of Suriname, examining colonial archives, plantation records, and accounts of resistance and resilience. The meaning of art is always contingent on social context.