Life and death according to the âepistemeâ of the fort
A picture of the slave trader Dirck Wilre in Elmina, 1669
In: Netherlands Yearbook for History of Art / Nederlands Kunsthistorisch Jaarboek OnlineSearch for other papers by Amy Knight Powell in
Current site
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Abstract
In Amy Powellâs essay social deathâ offers a prism through which to analyse the said painting and specifically what it conceals â namely, the bodies of Black Africans sold into the transatlantic slave trade from storerooms located immediately beneath the sumptuous chamber depicted here. Wilre, portrayed as director of the WIC at the Dutch fort of Elmina on the âgold coastâ of West Africa, profited hugely from this trade even as he obfuscated the source of his wealth in images like this portrait. Powellâs analysis asks us to consider how those basement storerooms, and victims of the slave trade they contained, are ever present in De Witâs painting, even as they are not figuratively represented. Her reading of two pictures within this picture draws attention to those who have suffered social death. The embedded pictures appear to reflect back to aspects of Wilreâs experience at Elmina as well as the impossibility of fully seeing the bodies marked, dismembered, and ultimately annihilated through the slave trade.
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| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 627 | 98 | 11 |
| Full Text Views | 171 | 4 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 269 | 12 | 0 |
Life and death according to the âepistemeâ of the fort
A picture of the slave trader Dirck Wilre in Elmina, 1669
In: Netherlands Yearbook for History of Art / Nederlands Kunsthistorisch Jaarboek OnlineSearch for other papers by Amy Knight Powell in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
In Amy Powellâs essay social deathâ offers a prism through which to analyse the said painting and specifically what it conceals â namely, the bodies of Black Africans sold into the transatlantic slave trade from storerooms located immediately beneath the sumptuous chamber depicted here. Wilre, portrayed as director of the WIC at the Dutch fort of Elmina on the âgold coastâ of West Africa, profited hugely from this trade even as he obfuscated the source of his wealth in images like this portrait. Powellâs analysis asks us to consider how those basement storerooms, and victims of the slave trade they contained, are ever present in De Witâs painting, even as they are not figuratively represented. Her reading of two pictures within this picture draws attention to those who have suffered social death. The embedded pictures appear to reflect back to aspects of Wilreâs experience at Elmina as well as the impossibility of fully seeing the bodies marked, dismembered, and ultimately annihilated through the slave trade.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 627 | 98 | 11 |
| Full Text Views | 171 | 4 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 269 | 12 | 0 |
