China was a closed empire in the seventeenth century. Foreigners were not welcome. Nevertheless, a few Dutch managed to get a foothold on Chinese soil. They looked at Chinese culture with admiration. Conversely, the Chinese also had an opinion about us. This image has now been captured in an exhibition.
Barbarians &Philosophers, The Image of China in the Golden Age highlights the mutual cultural influence between China and the Netherlands. The Frans Hals Museum is a more than suitable location for this exhibition. This is where the fascination for Chinese culture can be read from the wall. The curators of the exhibition discovered Chinese figures on the delft blue plinth tiles, which had not previously been noticed as such. The ideas that the Dutch got about the Chinese on the other side of the world were then shaped by images on porcelain and travel stories. This is how Chinese culture trickled into the daily lives of the Dutch.
The Low Countries were one of the few European countries to have access to the immense Chinese empire in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The exhibition highlights these early contacts between the Chinese and the Dutch missionaries and traders. These were the people who were allowed to enter China on a small scale and who provided the home front with news. The reporting of both groups was completely different in tone. That's understandable, since they were in China for a different purpose.
In contact
Barbaren &Philosophers is part of the multi-year research project The Chinese Impact, which is led by historian Thijs Weststeijn. He is also guest curator of the exhibition and lead author of the book of the same name. Compared to previous exhibitions about China, this time the approach is cultural. He shows what happened when two completely different cultures came into contact with each other. Admiration and fascination predominated in the seventeenth century. Walking through the four rooms of the small-scale exhibition, the enthusiasm from that time comes back to life.
The exhibition may only cover a small part of the museum, but it is informative. Weststeijn recorded a video for each room with additional background information and the accompanying signs are also informative. Perhaps a bit old-fashioned in design, but very pleasant for the museum visitor who wants more than just looking. For those who are really captivated by the subject, the book alias catalog is recommended. Several scientists, both from the Netherlands and from China, describe in an accessible manner the different ways in which the Dutch came into contact with Chinese culture. Prints from life, stories from eyewitnesses - missionaries and traders -, newspapers with the latest news and painted porcelain.
Sjezende sailing cart
A striking fact is that ambiguities were often interpreted positively because of the high opinion the Dutch had for Chinese culture and wisdom. One of the highlights of the exhibition shows this beautifully:a replica, painting and print of a sailing cart. The carriage was essentially a wheelbarrow with a tarp to facilitate the movement of goods. However, the Dutch thought that the Chinese had invented a boat for land and copied it. They tore across the beach at speeds of fifty kilometers per hour. The only drawback was that there was little movement in the vehicle with wind against it…
The Chinese knowledge of medicinal herbs took on magisterial forms in the Dutch imagination. Geographer and historian Olfert Dappert (1636-1689) wrote popular books about faraway places, including a copy about China that is on display here. Bravet had never visited the country himself, which meant that fabrications by third parties also ended up in his story. He talks about the body-purifying function of rice, the medicinal effect of beans against poison, of tea against hangovers, gout and kidney stones and about a 'millennial' herb that is said to have a life-prolonging effect.
Red Barbarians
The exhibition also sheds light on the impact the Dutch had in China. In the long run, that wouldn't be much, except for the influence of a few people. But although the Portuguese were the first traders to come into contact with the Chinese, the Dutch made a more physical impression:all Europeans were then described and depicted as red-haired barbarians, following the example of red-haired Dutch traders.
But it was not only the appearance of the "barbarians" that fascinated the Chinese. Though vastly developed culturally, scientific knowledge of astronomy and mathematics was less advanced in the immense empire. The fact that Western scientists could accurately predict a solar eclipse on the day caused many ooohs and aaaahs. Clocks, telescopes and other optical equipment were therefore received with great admiration, Weststeijn explains enthusiastically in a film.
In the end, the Dutch failed to gain a permanent foothold in the Middle Kingdom. Trade no longer took place via the nearby island of Formosa (Taiwan), to which one of the exhibition halls also pays attention, but via Batavia (Jakarta). The missionaries were recalled by the Pope in the eighteenth century. The mutual contact slowly disappeared and with it the admiration for and interest in Chinese culture.
For the first time
Barbaren &Wijsgeren is an elaboration of recent scientific research and therefore a truly themed exhibition. It mainly shows loans from other museums, which have been brought together for the first time for this subject. This highlights the fascination of the Dutch in the Golden Age in particular with Chinese culture. A great opportunity to experience that positivism up close.