Provenance research
Colonial collections
Around 1600, the Dutch began establishing direct contact with cultures in Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean region and Asia. Some were trade connections that did not involve taking control of local political power. Other territories were, however, conquered and colonised by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and the West India Company (WIC), and later by the Dutch State. In these places, the Dutch colonisers subjugated and exploited the local population and practiced human trafficking. In 2022, the Netherlands adopted a national policy regarding objects that came into the possession of the Dutch State under these circumstances – without the consent of their original owners.
Collection
The Rijksmuseum collection contains objects that are connected in a variety of ways to the colonial period. The museum conducts ongoing research into their provenance and is making active efforts to identify the owners of these objects across the centuries and to uncover how they entered the collection.
The provenance of the objects varies widely. Some, such as weapons and regalia, were taken in the course of military campaigns, and can be categorised as war booty. Another portion comprises the belongings of Dutch people who settled at trading posts and in colonised territories. Finally, there was a widespread and growing demand in the Netherlands for luxury items from Asia, leading to an increasing quantity of such objects finding their way into Dutch households and collections.
Involuntary
In the context of unequal power relations, even gifts or purchases can be classified as at least partially involuntary, meaning that it may be desirable to conduct provenance research on a wide range of objects, to clarify their history. Provenance research helps us gain a better understanding of history and our collection, offering us the opportunity to present new stories in the museum.
In cases where provenance research shows that there was involuntary loss of possession, the Minister of Education, Culture and Science may decide to return the object concerned to its country of origin.
