Lanssat, een Javaanse vrucht Possibly 1785

Here we see a study of the Lansat fruit, made in 1785 by Jan Brandes, in pen and watercolor. Brandes worked for the Dutch East India Company, and his drawings document the natural world that he encountered in his travels. The watercolor allows Brandes to capture the subtle gradations of color in the fruit. The meticulous stippling and fine pen lines give a sense of the fruit's texture, and the artist’s sensitive hand conveys the slight imperfections and variations in color. Notice the open fruit, revealing its segmented interior. This drawing sits at the intersection of art and science. While the materials are those of the artist, the approach is that of a naturalist, carefully recording the details of a specimen for later study. Such images were crucial to the project of colonial expansion, documenting resources for exploitation and trade. It asks us to consider the labor involved, not only in the making of the artwork, but also in the global networks that made the encounter between artist and fruit possible.