Box of the Dutch West India Company, Jean Saint (attributed to), 1749

Box of the Dutch West India Company, Jean Saint (attributed to), 1749

gold (metal), h 5.8cm × l 18.0cm × w 11.9cm × w 614gr More details

Stadholder William IV received this box in 1749 as the new administrator of the Dutch West India Company (WIC). The decorations on the box refer to the WIC’s activities: trade in gold, ivory, and people. To the left of the man with the elephant tusk is a European. He is giving money to another man who is pointing to two adults and a child. This is one of the few known depictions of the slave trade.

Visit via the Colonial Past tour

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