Optocht ter gelegenheid van Chinees Nieuwjaar te Batavia c. 1660

Editor: Here we have "Procession on the Occasion of Chinese New Year in Batavia," a drawing from around 1660 by Wouter Schouten. It seems to be pencil and perhaps some etching? It has this delicate, almost ephemeral quality. What strikes you when you look at this piece? Curator: I immediately consider the colonial context. Batavia, now Jakarta, was a crucial hub for the Dutch East India Company. This drawing, using easily transportable materials like pencil, depicts a Chinese New Year procession. I am particularly interested in understanding the labour and resources used. Where were the pencils sourced? How was the paper manufactured, and what was the social standing of the artist? Editor: That's fascinating! I was mostly looking at the parade itself and the whimsical animals depicted, I hadn't even thought about the literal materials. So, how does this affect how we look at the image? Curator: Well, consider the implications of a Dutch artist documenting a Chinese celebration in a colony. What was his position, both literally within the procession and figuratively within the power dynamics of the time? The act of drawing itself becomes a form of consumption and documentation, embedded within the company’s exploitative structure. Editor: So, the materials used aren't just about the art itself, but the bigger economic and political landscape. It's not just a picture; it’s about how the raw materials were obtained, the colonial power structures, and how it reflects consumption by different parties. Curator: Exactly! The seemingly simple pencil sketch is in fact deeply interwoven with colonial trade, labour, and resource extraction, all shaping how we perceive this event. The drawing embodies a convergence of artistic skill and social economic implications during the Dutch colonial era. Editor: That perspective really reframes the entire drawing. I see it in a completely new light now, not just as a cultural snapshot but as evidence of a complex historical relationship between the Dutch and Chinese communities in Batavia.