Portret van Johan Maurits, graaf van Nassau-Siegen 1840 - 1884

Jan Frederik Christiaan Reckleben created this print of Johan Maurits, Count of Nassau-Siegen, in the nineteenth century. It commemorates Maurits' role as governor in Dutch Brazil during the seventeenth century, a period marked by both colonial ambition and the transatlantic slave trade. Here, Reckleben depicts Maurits in armor, a symbol of power, but consider the human cost of that power. The wealth that allowed Maurits to commission artists and architects in Brazil was directly tied to the exploitation and suffering of enslaved Africans. What does it mean to memorialize a figure whose legacy is so deeply intertwined with injustice? This image invites us to reflect on the complexities of history, and the ethical questions raised when celebrating figures from a colonial past.