Gezicht op baai van Quilon met schepen 1676

Coenraet Decker created this print of the bay of Quilon, now known as Kollam, in India, sometime before his death in 1685. This image reflects the Dutch East India Company's presence in the region during the 17th century. The scene is filled with ships, suggesting a bustling port under Dutch control. Notice the massed people in the foreground; their subjugated stance and the dominance of the ships in the bay speak to themes of colonial power and the economic exploitation of the region's resources. Decker, who never traveled to India, relied on existing visual tropes to construct his image. Consider the emotional impact of this scene. What does it mean to depict a landscape not from direct experience, but through the lens of colonial ambition? It offers a glimpse into the complex relationship between artistic representation and the assertion of cultural and political dominance, reflecting both a desire for documentation and the imposition of external power structures.