Portrait of Laurens Reael (1583-1637) — Cornelis van der Voort

Cornelis van der Voort. Painted c. 1620.

In the early days of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), key administrators debated the deployment of enslaved people. Governor General Laurens Reael, for example, did not see slavery as a solution to the labour shortage. This was not based on moral grounds for, according to him, they would always try to flee, ‘because it is difficult to forget the pleasures of the country where one was born and raised.’

From the collection of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Currently on display in Power struggle in the young Republic, 17th Century, Main building.

oil paint (paint), canvas · Original size: 127 × 223 cm

Print: 67.8 × 119 cm, printed on Hahnemühle FineArt archival cotton paper. Museum-grade reproduction quality, true to the colours and detail of the original work.

Frame (optional): a custom-made wooden frame in a matte black finish, cut to the exact dimensions of this print, with an off-white passe-partout mat and protective glazing. Ready to hang.

Source: https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200109949. Image released under CC0 by the Rijksmuseum.