Portrait of Hendrik Brouwer, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies 1632 - 1675

This is an oil painting of Hendrik Brouwer, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies, by an unknown artist. It likely dates from the mid-17th century. Brouwer's dark attire, simple white collar, and the sword at his side, communicate the authority of his office in the Dutch colonial administration. Red curtains behind him are a conventional signifier of power, associating him with royalty and the ruling class. The Dutch East India Company was a powerful entity, and portraits like this served to reinforce its authority, both in Europe and in its colonies. Who commissioned this portrait? Where would it have been displayed? Was it intended for a European audience, or one in the East Indies? These are the questions that a social historian brings to a work like this. To understand this painting more fully, we need to consider it in the context of Dutch colonialism, the history of the Dutch East India Company, and the role of portraiture in shaping social and political power.