Studies van vrouwen c. 1660

Wouter Schouten created this wash drawing, Studies van Vrouwen, sometime in the late 17th century. It depicts women of Java, Indonesia. Schouten was a surgeon in the service of the Dutch East India Company, known as the VOC. While the drawing might appear to be a neutral record of Javanese life, we should remember that the VOC was an instrument of colonial power. Their presence shaped the social and economic realities of Java. This sheet of sketches allows insight into the Dutch perception and documentation of Javanese people during a time of increasing colonial encounters. We see Javanese women going about daily life. Are these observations Schouten made from life? Or did he reconstruct it from memory once back in the Netherlands? Understanding the historical context of works such as this helps us to understand how cultural exchange is rarely a balanced encounter. To fully understand it, we might consult VOC archives and contemporary accounts.