De wereld van de VOC (The world of the VOC – the Dutch United East India Company)
Exhibition in the National Archives of the Netherlands in The Hague (24 February 2017 till 7 January 2018)
Quite the contrary: the whole context in which these maps were made is illustrated with a multitude of objects, all of them beautifully displayed in an appealing scenography with multimedia and touchscreens. Just to make clear this is an exhibition you can take the whole family to, even the kids: everyone will find something interesting there. You will learn about the creation of the VOC and the political economical background, about the first voyages to Cape Good Hope, then further to Ceylon and India, to Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan and China. The life on board is explained, the contacts with the locals and their effect, the discovery of new plants, animals, spices. But also the slave trade and the often brutal behaviour of the European participants to these 'explorations' is shown. All of this documented with original letters, books, deeds and … maps, of course!
These maps range from the 16th to the 18th century, including city plans, vista's and charts and are almost exclusively manuscript or in any case unique. There is also a special section on navigation and cartography. For a list of the maps on display: click here.
The exhibition language is Dutch but a tablet available in English can guide you through the exhibits. The Dutch United East India Company Book isn't a real catalogue, but much more than that: it gives you the background to what you will see. Available on the spot and in bookshops at EUR 29.95.
This exhibition is a very good introduction to our international conference! Find the conference programme here.
Posted on