AELBERT CUYP’S VOC SENIOR MERCHANT, HIS WIFE, AND MANSERVANT (C. 1640-1660): COLONIALISM AND SOCIAL HIERARCHY IN DUTCH BATAVIA

The present study approaches Cuyp’s VOC Senior Merchant, his Wife, and Manservant through a post-colonial lens in order to critically examine the complex interactions between the Dutch VOC traders and indigenous peoples through servitude, social hierarchy, and cultural hybridity. The cohabitation of the city’s heterogeneous communities, coupled with the crucial yet threatening economic position of the Chinese, required careful VOC regulation in order to maintain their superior social position. A pajong-bearer depicted in the painting invites investigation into this social hierarchization, as well as the reception of representations of indigenous people and spaces during the era of Dutch globalization. Partially subsumed behind the prominent Dutch couple, yet accented by the large pajong, the figure is depicted as a Europeanized foil to the Dutch commander. Through analysis of the significance of the pajong-bearer, I argue that Cuyp portrayed Dutch culture as superior and all-encompassing in order to reflect optimism in the future success of VOC trade and settlements in Asia.