I suggest taking a look at this link if you're interested in more: https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/explore-the-collection/timeline-dutch-history/1602-trade-with-the-east-voc
(Click on image to get a closer look of main VOC trade routes with goods, imports and exports; image courtesy of The Geography of Transport Systems)
Dutch East India Co. Official Charter: Written out March 20th, 1602, the VOC charter was the way in which the Dutch government legally monopolized and stabilized their trades, opposed to the British East India Company competing around the same time. Essentially, the charter drew out explanations of why and how the Dutch had come to dominate things such as the spice trade, trade in Asia, etc.; in short it begins with bragging about their success. Overall, the charter gave the VOC the power to use those places it conquered fairly, to maintain an army for protection of their trade, built and hold forts, and create treaties. It was actually one of their goals to injure Spanish commercial interests. The charter lasted for 21 years until the VOC's downfall beginning in 1666, when silk from China dwindled to none and the Third Anglo Dutch War increased pressure on their companies. Let's face it: no one liked the Dutch anymore.
For a translation of the charter follow this link ----> http://www.eurostudium.uniroma1.it/ricerche/didattica/strumenti_didattici/fonti/600/VOCengvers.pdf
VOC Coins: It's not surprising that the Dutch East India Company had their own coinage system that spread across the Eastern Hemisphere. Over two centuries their coins differentiated between gold, silver, and bronze, and while even the type of coin varied from place to place (such as Guilder, Ducatoon and Stiver coins) they all had the same monogrammed back labelled "VOC" with the date of its minting underneath. They were first issued in the Netherlands and distributed across Europe and Asia. For example, up above the coin was minted in Holland in 1732 with the crowned arms of Holland and a lion rampant on the front of the coin.
Source: http://jameelcentre.ashmolean.org/collection/4/1238/1281
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/fts/corpuschristi_201205A19.html
Source: http://what-when-how.com/western-colonialism/dutch-united-east-india-company-western-colonialism/
http://www.modelships.de/Museums_and_replicas/Batavia/Batavia_eng.htm
http://datab.us/i/Batavia%20%28ship%29
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/fts/corpuschristi_201205A19.html
Dutch Blue Pentagonal Beads: The Dutch East India Companie's monogrammed coins that were commonly seen across Europe and Asia were not the only means of payment and trade; above, pentagonal beads were also quite popular, especially in the Americas. Their origins lay in a glass factory in Amsterdam during the 17th century, where the beads were created specifically for "primitive people," and were used as trade largely for the expanding Americas. Because beads had always been seen as identifying wealth and power, it's not strange to note that the pentagonal beads were believed to have hung around the throats of African slaves. There are also some interesting rumors about them; that the Dutch paid thirty blue beads to the Native Americans for control of Manhattan, New York; that in St. Eustatius (a Dutch island in the West Indies, won from the Spanish and a major trade center for the Dutch between Asia and the Americas) the beads were used to pay as wages for the slaves; and that after their emancipation the slaves threw the blue beads over the island's cliff for their freedom, which is why so many can be found amongst the water's depths and are considered in more modern terms, "Statian Beads." They have become symbols both of success and sorrow.
Handspun Indian Cloth: Control of textiles from India was major. While The Brish East India Company attempted to monopolize the trade, the Dutch naturally got there first. Indian cloth had been sought after for centuries across the Eastern Hemisphere, for its bright colors (especially red yarn), its skilled weaving and that it was easy to wash, ranging from coarser fabrics to fine textiles that were worn by the elite and kings and queens. Burma was a major port in the Bay of Bengal that the Dutch established, and if it weren't for accidentally coming upon it along their route across the Spice Islands, they would never have found it.
Nautilus Cup: This is probably the coolest item brought about by the Dutch East India Company. The nautilus shell which is the center of this piece was monopolized by the Dutch alongside the heavily exported spices from the West Indies (present-day Indonesia), an exotic object that quickly found its place amongst the wealth in Europe, princes, merchants, collectors; they were especially coveted by scientists and mathematicians who were curious by its geometrical spirals that eventually brought about logarithms, as well as being considered evidence of mathematical properties in nature. Eventually the exotic shells were mounted on silver (the Americas) to form the beautiful nautilus cup up above. They're also quite popular in Dutch still life paintings... quite an interesting artifact I think.
Ivory Cabinet: Ivory was also a major export, as elephants were actually brought from Asia to be traded particularly for their tusks. Ivory and wood were the speciality of Indian craftsman and those from Sri Lanka, especially in furniture. As can be seen above, the ivory cabinet was made officially for the VOC itself; it depicts a Dutch party coming ashore at the port in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), an image of caged elephants, and the door panels have a common motif, the hamsa bird often used by Ceylon craftsman. On this particular piece and in later furniture, there is also notable use of mythological creatures on the sides and gorgeous scrollwork.
Source: http://jameelcentre.ashmolean.org/collection/3/per_page/50/offset/0/sort_by/date/object/11228
Dutch East India Company Structure:
It's often assumed that the Dutch were more powerful, perhaps even more aggressive than the English or the Portuguese to gain such power. While this may be true, it's also important to note that the organization of their entire company made it extremely successful as well. The Dutch Republic is impressively advanced in money as well as military, and outlined its charter as well as its divided power identical to the Dutch States which were strong and politically stable. The overall layout or the VOC consisted of six chambers in various cities: Amsterdam, Zeeland (Middleburg), Rotterdam, Delft, Enkhuisen, and Horn, all of which raised funds for the company. There were two types of shareholders, the participanten, non-managing partners and the bewindhebbers, managing partners, both very important because they controlled what was paid into the VOC. Their merchant-elite backbone prevented political discord.
Decline of the VOC:
Eventually all great powers have to end. The Dutch, though, held onto their seat of power in across Europe and East Asia as long as they could. Several things occurred beginning around the early 1700s. Trade began to decline in Japan and China for their silk; the sugar market declined across Brazilian markets; as a result several Chinese sugar-traders went bankrupt, causing large rioting that the VOC did not see as important to end; the Dutch were also experiencing their Third Anglo-Dutch war in 1772 between themselves and France, and while they had several ships and a military force to spare their European trade suffered and pressure increased. Financial troubles resulted, yet they renewed their charter until 1798 where they had their fourth war, this time with Great Britain and the company eventually dissolved and was dismantled in 1800.
Source: http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Dutch_East_India_Company
geography.about.com/od/economic-geography/a/The-Dutch-East-India-Company.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment