Portrait of Jacob Jacobsz Steendam, Poet and Historian in Amsterdam, New Amsterdam and Batavia 1732 - 1771

Here we see Jan Maurits Quinkhard’s portrait of Jacob Steendam, a poet and historian who lived and worked in Amsterdam, New Amsterdam, and Batavia, though the exact date of the artwork is unknown. Steendam’s story is one of movement and cultural exchange during the Dutch Golden Age. He was a teacher and a clerk for the Dutch West India Company. He represents a figure of intellectual life shaped by the forces of colonialism and commerce in the 17th century. Consider the emotional complexity of being a poet in service of colonial administration. Steendam must have reflected on the weight of history and the complexities of cultural identity, torn between the ideals of poetry and the realities of colonial power. In viewing this portrait, let us think about the intimate and far-reaching consequences of colonialism and the individual lives that shaped them.