Paleis van de koning van Kandy c. 1770

This line drawing, titled "Paleis van de koning van Kandy", was created by Johannes Rach in the 18th century. The image depicts the King’s Palace in Kandy, the last kingdom of Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, before it fell under British rule. Rach worked for the Dutch East India Company. This institution played a pivotal role in the global expansion of European power through trade and colonization. Rach's drawings served as visual records for the company, documenting the people, landscapes, and architecture of the regions they sought to control. The architectural rendering presents the palace as orderly and accessible, while the inclusion of local figures provides a sense of place, albeit from a colonial perspective. To understand this work better, one could research the Dutch East India Company archives, travelogues from the period, and studies of colonial art. This will allow us to better understand how artistic representations reinforced systems of power.