Afrikaantje (Tagetes) 1617

Crispijn van de Passe the Younger made this engraving of an Afrikaantje, or Tagetes flower, at some point during his career in the Dutch Republic. At first glance, this seems to be just a straightforward botanical illustration. But consider the context: the Dutch Golden Age was a time of exploration, trade, and colonialism. New plants from around the world were flooding into Europe, and botanical gardens were becoming important centers of scientific study and display. Engravings like this one played a crucial role in circulating knowledge about these exotic species. They fed a growing public appetite for natural history and contributed to the development of new scientific classification systems. But they also reflect the power dynamics of the era, as European scientists and collectors sought to classify and control the natural world. To fully understand this image, we might turn to the records of the Dutch East India Company, or the letters of botanists who were actively trading plants. Only then can we truly appreciate the complex social and institutional forces that shaped its production and reception.