De eilanden Solor, Ambon, Gunung Api en Banda Neira, 1616 1617 - 1646

This is a 1616 engraving, titled "The Islands Solor, Ambon, Gunung Api and Banda Neira," by an anonymous Dutch artist. It was created during a time when the Dutch East India Company was expanding its reach in the spice trade. This print offers a glimpse into the colonial gaze, portraying these Indonesian islands as resources to be mapped and exploited. We see not just landscapes, but strategic locations marked with European ships and settlements. The presence of local figures seems to emphasize a dynamic of observation and control. Consider the emotional weight of such images: for Europeans, they represented opportunity and wealth, while for the indigenous populations, they signified the loss of autonomy and the erasure of their own cultural narratives. It reminds us of the complex and often painful intersection of cartography, commerce, and colonialism.