Two labourers 1662

Esaias Boursse made this drawing of two labourers with graphite. We can consider this image as a product of the Dutch Golden Age, a time of great economic expansion and colonial reach for the Netherlands in the 17th century. Boursse worked for the Dutch East India Company, and there is a good chance this sketch depicts people he encountered in his travels to the East, probably in what is now Indonesia, although it is hard to tell exactly where. These sketches may have been made in preparation for more finished works, as the Company encouraged artists to record their impressions of distant lands and peoples. But these images also tell us something about the artist's point of view. How were the people in the sketch regarded in Dutch society? Were they seen as exotic subjects, or were they recognized as individuals with their own stories and histories? To answer these questions, we might consult travel journals, Company records, and other archival sources. It is by looking at art within its broader context that we can begin to understand its full significance.