Maleis koopman en een Keling met zijn vrouw te Bantam, 1596 1597 - 1646

This engraving, titled "Maleis koopman en een Keling met zijn vrouw te Bantam", was made in 1596 by an anonymous artist. The print offers a glimpse into the Dutch perception and representation of people from Southeast Asia during the early stages of Dutch colonial expansion. The image depicts a Malay merchant and a Keling man with his wife in Bantam, a port city in West Java. The figures are carefully rendered with attention to their clothing and accessories, signaling their ethnic and social identities. The term "Keling" was historically used by the Dutch to refer to people from the Indian subcontinent, revealing the complexities and often inaccurate categorizations employed during the colonial era. The artist's rendering of the subjects invites us to consider the power dynamics inherent in cross-cultural encounters, and how these depictions might have shaped European understandings of foreign people and cultures. How do you think the artist’s cultural background and colonial context influenced the portrayal of these individuals?