My colleagues and I at the Mauritshuis can cover quite a few languages, but one museum guide speaking seven languages is nearly impossible. Nonetheless, in the beginning of the 19th century, when the museum was founded, the concierge Hendrick Hentzepeter could do just that! And he had to know about a whole lot more than we do today. When in 1822 the museum was housed in the former residence of Johan Maurits von Nassau Siegen, there were two collections. On the ground floor you could admire part of more than 10.000 collection pieces that make up the Royal Cabinet of Rarities. On the first floor, the Royal Cabinet of Paintings was located.
The museum is the result of geopolitical decisions: the Dutch monarchy was created after the fall of Napoleon and included also parts of Belgium. To stimulate a national unity, King William I wanted to stress the greatness of the Dutch nation in bygone eras. By displaying objects from all over the world, he suggested the Dutch were just as powerful as they were in the 17th century when they ruled on sea.
For the current exhibition, the Mauritshuis has brought together more than one hundred pieces once forming part of the Cabinet of Rarities. When the Cabinet was dismantled in 1875, they were divided among other museums like the Rijksmuseum. Apart from showing beautiful objects from all over the world, the exhibition primarily wants to address the way the 19th century visitor was manipulated.
For instance, the Dutch were the only Western trading partner of Japan for more than 200 years and the Dutch were still very proud of that unique position. A huge 6m long model of Deshima, the trading post of the Dutch, suggested that still in the 19th century this was a thriving outpost. In reality, Japan mostly dictated trade and it was hardly profitable for the Dutch anymore. In the exhibition some of the houses made for this model can be admired, along with model of a real Japanese kitchen with all its little pots and pans. It must be said however, that even though the position of the Dutch in Japan at that time was highly overrated, the Japan room brought the Cabinet quite a lot of fame being a centre of knowledge about this country which was very difficult to access until 1854.
Other misinformation regarding some Orange Nassau relics is also cleared in the exhibition. When a number of clothing items, amongst which was a hat with the bullet hole, entered into the collection of the Cabinet, they were displayed as belonging having been worn by William of Orange when he was assassinated. In reality, these were the clothes of member of the Frisian branch of the Orange Nassau family. In 1822, however, the director figured it would carry more weight to pass them off as being the clothes of William of Orange. The reason for this was twofold: William of Orange was more well known and it would legitimise the current monarch’s position as king.
These two examples demonstrate that the information on the artefacts in the collection of the Cabinet of Rarities needed to be reviewed and stripped of their propaganda. The 19th century presentation was clearly influenced by the desire to stress the superiority of Western Europe. The purpose of the current exhibition is to remove the objects form this tainted context and look for the real stories behind these objects without ignoring the fact that we too might be influenced by our time! Wendy FOSSEN 21st November 2024
The Lost Museum continues at Mauritshuis in The Hague until 5th January
