Mugger crocodile and a passing man 1662

Editor: Here we have Esaias Boursse's 1662 pencil drawing, "Mugger Crocodile and a Passing Man." The crocodile looks so detailed and real, especially compared to the man. It’s also intriguing because it is clearly created on site within a sketchbook format. What exactly do you see in this peculiar juxtaposition of subjects? Curator: Well, as a historian, the most interesting facet to me lies not just in the image itself, but where and for whom this was made. Boursse was working for the Dutch East India Company. Drawings like these served a dual purpose. He likely produced it on location to document natural life encountered by merchants. But more than that, these depictions circulated back in Europe as tools of cultural instruction to those back home about life in new colonial territories. What effect do you think that would have had on a Dutch audience? Editor: I imagine it contributed to a sense of the exotic, of the ‘other,’ a reinforcement of cultural hierarchies where Europeans were seen as superior, as observers, almost outside of the dangers of nature. It would have felt so far removed. Curator: Exactly. And notice how the man is sketchier and perhaps less imposing, as you stated initially. That further reinforces this dynamic. Who has the power here? Is it man over beast, or the other way around? The drawing itself perpetuates and solidifies power structures. Editor: That’s fascinating! I was focused on the visual aspect, but placing it within the context of Dutch colonialism completely changes my understanding. Now, I see how this image plays a role in a much larger, complicated story. Curator: Precisely. And the sketchbook format suggests both immediacy and a kind of portable authority - "I was there, I saw this; believe it." It certainly changes our understanding of this simple genre scene.