Zambiza valt Alvarudo aan met een mes 1774

Reinier Vinkeles made this engraving, Zambiza valt Alvarudo aan met een mes, which translates to Zambiza attacks Alvarudo with a knife. This dramatic scene, printed in the Netherlands, presents a vision of colonial conflict. The image creates meaning through visual codes: the indigenous figure, Zambiza, is minimally clothed, embodying a supposed lack of civilization, while Alvarudo is dressed in the garb of a European official. The exoticised palm trees situates the event in a far-off, tropical locale and marks it as a product of colonial expansion. This engraving can be seen as a commentary on the social structures of its time. The image's use of stark contrasts and dynamic action aligns with prevailing aesthetic preferences, and further research into Vinkeles's other works, alongside period accounts of colonial encounters, might reveal the full extent of the cultural and institutional forces that shaped this piece.