Portrait of Gerard van Bergen, Director of the Rotterdam Chamber of the Dutch East India Company, elected 1653 1695 - 1722

Pieter van der Werff painted this portrait of Gerard van Bergen, an influential figure in the Dutch East India Company, sometime after van Bergen’s election in 1653. The painting offers a glimpse into the complex interplay of commerce, power, and identity during the Dutch Golden Age. Van Bergen’s role in the Company, which wielded immense power through its control of trade routes and colonization, situates him within a network of global exchange marked by both economic prosperity and colonial exploitation. Consider the emotional weight carried by such a position, the moral ambiguities inherent in profiting from systems of inequality. Van Bergen is not merely a man in a black coat; he’s a symbol of a society grappling with the consequences of its ambitions. This portrait invites us to reflect on the legacies of colonialism and the individuals whose decisions shaped a world we still inhabit.