Stallen van de koning van Tuban, 1599 1600s - 1610s

Editor: Here we have “Stallen van de koning van Tuban,” a print from around the early 1600s, author unknown, at the Rijksmuseum. The subject matter feels somewhat stark; it shows what looks like enclosures in a landscape. What do you make of this piece? Curator: It's a fascinating depiction. The "stables," if we can call them that, are rendered with a certain coldness, aren't they? Considering this print would have been circulated during a period of intense European colonialism, it prompts us to think about how the Dutch East India Company and others presented their activities abroad to the public back home. What is ostensibly a simple illustration becomes a political object. Editor: So, you are suggesting that the artist’s choices, like this rather barren composition, might tell a larger story about how this part of the world and its people were being portrayed in Europe at the time? Curator: Exactly. These kinds of prints weren't simply neutral records. They helped to shape public perception of faraway lands and, crucially, justified colonial ventures. Are these stables truly for animals, or could they symbolize something else entirely – perhaps even control and subjugation? Think about the audience that would have viewed this print: how would they interpret these "stables" in the context of overseas trade and expansion? Editor: That is a really interesting angle. I hadn’t thought about how the very act of representing these structures might have served a specific agenda. It definitely reframes the piece for me. Curator: It all reminds us that art rarely exists in a vacuum. Considering its historical context unveils layers of meaning we might otherwise miss. I am also now pondering the extent to which this piece participated in constructing specific attitudes. Editor: Indeed. I'll definitely be more mindful of that in the future. Thanks for sharing your insights!