Zeevissen Possibly 1778

This is Jan Brandes's "Zeevissen," a watercolor and ink drawing from the late 18th century. Brandes, born in 1743, was a Dutch clergyman, artist and traveler. Here, Brandes meticulously documents various species of fish. This interest in natural history reflects the Enlightenment’s emphasis on empirical observation. But this image is about more than just scientific recording, it's about the complex relationship between the colonizer and the colonized. Brandes made these drawings during his time serving as a clergyman in the Dutch East Indies. The work demonstrates an exercise of colonial power, with Brandes acting as a European observer cataloging the natural resources of the Dutch colony. Consider how Brandes’s role as both a clergyman and an artist shapes his perspective, with its intertwining of religious, scientific, and aesthetic modes of understanding. The sketches are full of careful detail, yet the imposition of European classification systems arguably flattens the vibrant biodiversity of the region. "Zeevissen" invites us to consider how knowledge is produced, circulated, and deployed within colonial structures.