The Old Indies at the French Court: Johan Maurits’s Gift to Louis XIV

In 1679 Prince Johan Maurits (1604-1679), the former governor-general of Dutch Brazil, presented French King Louis XIV (r. 1643-1715) with an extravagant gift comprised of Brazilian-themed images and objects, including a set of eight cartoons by the Dutch artist Albert Eckhout (1610-1665), which wo...

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Main Author: Carrie Anderson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Stichting Early Modern Low Countries 2019-06-01
Series:Early Modern Low Countries
Subjects:
Online Access:https://acc.openjournals.nl/emlc/article/view/7216
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author Carrie Anderson
author_facet Carrie Anderson
author_sort Carrie Anderson
collection DOAJ
description In 1679 Prince Johan Maurits (1604-1679), the former governor-general of Dutch Brazil, presented French King Louis XIV (r. 1643-1715) with an extravagant gift comprised of Brazilian-themed images and objects, including a set of eight cartoons by the Dutch artist Albert Eckhout (1610-1665), which would be transformed into a set of tapestries known as the Old Indies (Anciennes Indes). This article will focus on the points of convergence between the Old Indies and the Escalier des Ambassadeurs, or Ambassador’s Staircase, at Versailles – the decoration of which was being completed at the same time Johan Maurits presented his gift. Aimed at making tangible the possibility of colonial conquest, the immersive environments created by the tapestries and the staircase’s convincingly painted spectacle blurred the boundaries between reality and representation, mediating an ideological space that existed between the static, centralized authority of the French court and the far-flung colonial possessions it sought to acquire.
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spelling doaj-art-1c3e646a7fb84b4bbb8450edcd4081a22025-08-20T03:52:06ZengStichting Early Modern Low CountriesEarly Modern Low Countries2543-15872019-06-0131The Old Indies at the French Court: Johan Maurits’s Gift to Louis XIVCarrie Anderson0Middlebury College, Vermont In 1679 Prince Johan Maurits (1604-1679), the former governor-general of Dutch Brazil, presented French King Louis XIV (r. 1643-1715) with an extravagant gift comprised of Brazilian-themed images and objects, including a set of eight cartoons by the Dutch artist Albert Eckhout (1610-1665), which would be transformed into a set of tapestries known as the Old Indies (Anciennes Indes). This article will focus on the points of convergence between the Old Indies and the Escalier des Ambassadeurs, or Ambassador’s Staircase, at Versailles – the decoration of which was being completed at the same time Johan Maurits presented his gift. Aimed at making tangible the possibility of colonial conquest, the immersive environments created by the tapestries and the staircase’s convincingly painted spectacle blurred the boundaries between reality and representation, mediating an ideological space that existed between the static, centralized authority of the French court and the far-flung colonial possessions it sought to acquire. https://acc.openjournals.nl/emlc/article/view/7216Johan MauritsLouis XIVDutch Brazildiplomacygift exchangeOld Indies
spellingShingle Carrie Anderson
The Old Indies at the French Court: Johan Maurits’s Gift to Louis XIV
Early Modern Low Countries
Johan Maurits
Louis XIV
Dutch Brazil
diplomacy
gift exchange
Old Indies
title The Old Indies at the French Court: Johan Maurits’s Gift to Louis XIV
title_full The Old Indies at the French Court: Johan Maurits’s Gift to Louis XIV
title_fullStr The Old Indies at the French Court: Johan Maurits’s Gift to Louis XIV
title_full_unstemmed The Old Indies at the French Court: Johan Maurits’s Gift to Louis XIV
title_short The Old Indies at the French Court: Johan Maurits’s Gift to Louis XIV
title_sort old indies at the french court johan maurits s gift to louis xiv
topic Johan Maurits
Louis XIV
Dutch Brazil
diplomacy
gift exchange
Old Indies
url https://acc.openjournals.nl/emlc/article/view/7216
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