Dutch Imprint in China

About the project

This project centres on View of Fuzhou, the Rijksmuseum’s exceptional topographical drawing of Fuzhou, situating it within the cultural context of Fujian and the Dutch tradition of city views. Depicting a VOC vessel using hybrid perspective and cartographic devices, this drawing offers a rare Chinese account of Sino-Dutch trade in a key contact zone.

By analysing VOC archival records alongside Chinese local gazetteers and the Rijksmuseum’s prints and illustrated books on Asia, the project reconstructs how Dutch visual materials circulated through Fuzhou. It assesses the drawing against contemporary Dutch representations of China and reveals how cross-cultural exchange shaped local artistic practices.

Aims of the project

This project foregrounds a Chinese perspective on early modern cultural exchange and offers a nuanced reading of the VOC’s role in Asia. It addresses questions including: How did the Chinese artist adapt, reject or transform foreign visual vocabularies encountered through trade? What do the artistic choices – the emphasis on suburban areas rather than the main city, and the depiction of diverse vessels – suggest? Who was the drawing’s intended audience – Dutch merchants or Chinese patrons?

By answering these questions, the project will reveal the Dutch imprint on local art and society and expand our understanding of artistic negotiation between distinct pictorial traditions.

Partners and Sponsors

Mellon Foundation