Four women and a man 1662

Esaias Boursse made this drawing of four women and a man with graphite, ink, and gray wash on paper sometime in the mid-17th century. Although Boursse was Dutch, he spent time working for the Dutch East India Company and likely drew this scene while abroad. The clothing of these figures does not appear to be Western. The cultural references here are unclear. The vase on the head of the woman in the center might tell us something about her profession or social standing. The wraps worn by the other figures also likely point to specific cultural identities and their arrangement in the picture plane could suggest some implicit social hierarchy. As an art historian, I’d want to explore archival resources related to the Dutch East India Company to find out more about Boursse’s travels and the kinds of people he may have encountered, so that we can better understand the cultural context of this drawing.