Figures & Portraits · 18th century
€ 280
One of a kind: this is the sheet in the photographs. Ships from Langweer, the Netherlands.
Condition very good. General age-related toning and/or occasional minor defects from handling. Some foxing, mostly out of the platemark. Please study scan carefully.
Joan Maetsuycker was a prominent Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies. Maetsuycker's term in the Dutch Indies was from 1653 to 1678.
1. **Early Life**: Joan Maetsuycker was born on October 14, 1606, in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
2. **Legal Career**: He studied law and initially pursued a legal career in the Netherlands.
3. **Joining the VOC**: Maetsuycker joined the Dutch East India Company and was sent to Batavia (present-day Jakarta), the headquarters of the VOC in the East Indies.
4. **Rise in the VOC**: He held various administrative and judicial positions in the company, showcasing his legal expertise and administrative skills.
5. **Governor-Generalship**: In 1653, Maetsuycker was appointed Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies, a position he held for 25 years, making him the longest-serving Governor-General in the history of the VOC.
6. **Tenure and Policies**: His tenure was marked by the expansion of Dutch control in the region, particularly in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and the Maluku Islands. He was known for his diplomatic approach and efforts to establish legal and administrative frameworks in the colonies.
7. **Legacy**: Maetsuycker left a significant legacy in terms of the VOC's expansion and consolidation in Asia. His long tenure provided a degree of stability and continuity in the Dutch East Indies.
8. **Death**: Joan Maetsuycker passed away on January 24, 1678, in Batavia.
From the monumental work by François Valentyn: “Oud en nieuw Oost-Indiën, vervattende een naaukeurige en uitvoerige verhandelinge van Nederlands mogentheyd in die gewesten”. Dordrecht/Amsterdam: J. van Braam en G. onder de Linden, 1724/1726. (Transl.: Old and new East-Indies, including an accurate and extensive description of Dutch / VOC controlled territories.)
Made by an anonymous engraver after Valentijn.
