Handscroll thumbnail 1
Handscroll thumbnail 2
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Not currently on display at the V&A

Handscroll

ca. 1800 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

After 1639 the Dutch were the only Europeans allowed to trade in Japan. They were confined to Dejima, a small artificial island in Nagasaki Harbour, where their activities were closely regulated. This handscroll, read from right to left, shows the Dutch on Dejima and was painted by a Japanese artist to entertain and inform a senior shogunal official. Dutch ships came to Dejima only once a year. At other times life there was quiet for the Dutch. Waited on by their Javanese servants, they amused themselves by listening to music, tending the garden and playing billiards.

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Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Ink and colours painted on silk
Brief description
Pap, Japan, paintings and drawings
Physical description
Handscroll depicting the Dutch factory at Dejima
Dimensions
  • Height: 35.1cm
  • Length: 434.2cm
Object history
Acquisition method and source not identified in the Asia Department registers, accessioned in 1905. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project.
Summary
After 1639 the Dutch were the only Europeans allowed to trade in Japan. They were confined to Dejima, a small artificial island in Nagasaki Harbour, where their activities were closely regulated. This handscroll, read from right to left, shows the Dutch on Dejima and was painted by a Japanese artist to entertain and inform a senior shogunal official. Dutch ships came to Dejima only once a year. At other times life there was quiet for the Dutch. Waited on by their Javanese servants, they amused themselves by listening to music, tending the garden and playing billiards.
Collection
Accession number
D.151-1905

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Record createdFebruary 7, 2005
Record URL
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