Portret van Cornelis Jansz Speelman 1702 - 1749

This is Isaac Ledeboer’s engraving of Cornelis Jansz Speelman, likely made in the first half of the 18th century in the Dutch Republic. Engravings like this one were important tools for creating and reinforcing social hierarchies. Speelman was the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia. The image presents Speelman as a figure of authority and refinement. His elaborate clothing, wig, and the baton he holds signify wealth, power, and status. Note the inclusion of Speelman's coat of arms, a visual claim to nobility and lineage. During the Dutch Golden Age, the Dutch East India Company held immense economic and political power. Portraits like this one celebrated and legitimized the individuals who administered this colonial enterprise, reinforcing the social order of the time. To understand this print fully, we would want to research the history of Dutch colonialism, the visual culture of the Dutch Golden Age, and the biography of Speelman himself. Art is never made in a vacuum, and its meaning is always shaped by the society in which it is created and consumed.