Portrait of Johan Maurits, Count of Nassau-Siegen, Governor of Brazil c. 1660

This striking portrait of Johan Maurits, Governor of Brazil, was rendered by an anonymous artist using oil on canvas. The artist skillfully layered the oil paint to capture the texture of Maurits’ clothes and skin. Look closely at the metallic sheen of the armor. The painting's material qualities extend beyond mere representation. It speaks of the world Maurits inhabited: a world of trade routes, colonial exploitation, and the circulation of materials and power. The artist, with their brushes and pigments, became a crucial part of this system, producing images that both reflected and reinforced social hierarchies. The relatively large size of the canvas itself would have been a considerable investment. Paintings like this challenge us to look beyond the surface and consider the complex interplay of materials, making, and context in understanding the full meaning of an artwork.