Public domain
Man and Machine
From the collection of Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
This statue stood at the entrance of the Amsterdam office of a company that exported machines to Dutch businesses in the former Dutch East Indies. The Javanese man, nude and sitting cross-legged, symbolizes the colony. The modern diesel engine in his lap alludes to the company’s trading activities, as well as to the progress that the Netherlands hoped to bring to Indonesia.
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam’s own descriptionCredit lineMan and Machine. c. 1913. Marinus Johannes Hack. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Public domain.
