Household items, mementos and gifts
Souvenirs of the colonial period
The Rijksmuseum collection contains many objects that were made in the colonies but are not classified as war booty. They range from a luxury silver water scoop from Curaçao that its owners brought to the Netherlands on their return from a stay in the colonies, to a photo album given as a personal memento by work colleagues to someone returning permanently to the Netherlands. Other items include official gifts from local rulers that reflect the recipient’s office or rank. While each of these diverse objects has its own story, they all originate from a time and system in which colonial power relations shaped every aspect of life. This is why we need to investigate certain cases, to determine whether a gift was obtained by coercion or other unlawful means.
A colonial household
The VOC (Dutch East India Company), the WIC (Dutch West India Company) and other trading companies – and later the Dutch government – brought many Dutch and other Europeans to colonised territories. Many of these individuals held privileged positions in the colonial administration or military, or on plantations and at mines, overseeing the work of enslaved and, later, indentured workers.
What may initially have been intended as a temporary stay – with the aim of making quick profits –often developed into long-term, sometimes permanent, residence. Dutch men in the colonies sought wives, and with the advent of faster travel in the 19th century, more Dutch women were able to join them. The items they used in their households reflected a mixture of cultural influences, and their descendants later brought many of these treasured possessions to the Netherlands – an example being the tableware set owned by the Swellengrebel family.
Unique gifts for family and friends back home
Sometimes items such as a chest of tea, a stuffed bird or a small but valuable quantity of pepper would be sent to family members or acquaintances in the Netherlands, in a desire to offer a glimpse into the colonial lifestyle. Local artisanal crafts also found their way to Europe through this route. A notable example of just such a colonial gift is the weapon rack that Admiral Cornelis Tromp received from Cornelis Wemans, a childhood friend. Wemans worked for the colonial administration in Jakarta (then called Batavia) and wanted to thank Tromp for a portrait he had received from him. He sent Tromp a special collection of Asian weapons to give an impression of the extraordinary world in which he lived. Tromp displayed the weapon rack prominently at his home to show how well-connected he was.
Diplomatic gifts
The exchange of gifts plays an important part in diplomatic relations. It matters how large or valuable the gift is, who gives it and who receives it, and whether a counter-gift is exchanged. Giving or exchanging gifts is always accompanied by some form of obligation, and this is especially true when there is an unequal power relationship between the parties involved. That is why it is so important to investigate the circumstances under which gifts were given in the colonial era.
Colonists return to the Netherlands
The Rijksmuseum collection contains a large number of commemorative objects that were gifted to Dutch administrators, military personnel or individuals running plantations or other enterprises. They would receive items such as richly decorated photo albums, silver trophies or fine examples of local craftsmanship, often inscribed to mark a special anniversary, to express gratitude for services rendered, or to commemorate a period spent living in the colony.
Souvenirs for travellers
Wherever travellers go, a trade in souvenirs soon develops – and the Dutch colonies were no exception. Some artisanal workshops specialised in producing items that appealed to European travellers and were, where possible, easy to carry home – this clearly does not apply to elaborate pieces such as the model Javanese market stall, which would have been made in a specialist studio. Souvenirs such as dioramas of an indigenous settlement or a du (perfotmance by enslaved people on plantations) were popular, but expensive. Those who really went all out bought one of each from Gerrit Schouten, the maker of these dioramas, to take home as a set.
