Arkivism
Crown for the King of Ardra
Public domain

Crown for the King of Ardra

anonymous · c. 1664 · inlay (process); voeren; casting; fastened; copper (metal); velvet (fabric weave); glass

From the collection of Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.

About this work

This crown was intended as a diplomatic gift to the king of Ardra (a kingdom in West Africa) to promote trade in enslaved Africans. The nature and extent of human trafficking and slavery in West Africa changed with the arrival of the Dutch West India Company (WIC). Besides the fact that people were now being shipped to other continents, the colonial system made the status of enslaved people inheritable and linked to skin colour.

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam’s own description
Subjects
crownclothingjewellerykoning van ArdraMichiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter
Credit lineCrown for the King of Ardra. c. 1664. anonymous. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Public domain.
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