Johan Nieuhof

Johan Nieuhoff

Johan Nieuhoff (Uelsen, 22 July 1618 - Madagascar, 8 October 1672) was a Dutch traveler who wrote about his journeys to Brazil, China and India. The most famous of these was a trip of 2,400 km from Canton to Peking in 1655-1657, which enabled him to become an authoritative Western writer on China.

Biography

Johan Nieuhoff was born in Uelsen, of which his father (originally from Zwolle) was mayor. Nieuhoff left for Brazil in 1640 as a reserve officer-candidate - from then on, barring two short family visits in 1658 and 1671, he spent all the rest of his life abroad. After an adventurous career in the service of the Dutch East India Company (or "VOC") - between 1660 and 1667 he occupied posts in India and on Ceylon - he then lived in Batavia until 1670. He then disappeared without trace on Madagascar, after landing from a sloop in order to seek drinking water.

The "Old Viceroy" of Guangdong, Shang Kexi, probably drawn by Johan Nieuhoff himself in Guangzhou in 1655

In the first half of the 17th century, the VOC tried to break the Portuguese monopoly position on trade to Macau. When they did not succeed, they sent four embassies to Beijing between 1655 and 1685. The reports from these embassies and the reports of the Jesuits formed the only reliable source of information on China available in Western Europe. As purser of the VOC embassy to Peking Johan Nieuhof in 1655 had special instructions to observe all "farms, towns, palaces, rivers, ... [and other] buildings" that he might pass by, drawing them "in straight form and figure", as well as remains of the historical victory of the "Tartars" (Manchus) that brought an end to the reign of the Ming dynasty.

At his homecoming in 1658, he had entrusted his notes and annotations to his brother Hendrik, whom Johan thanked when finally (in 1665) Hendrik produced an ample study of China, with many images, text and explanation of the latest events. Hendrik dedicated the work to Hendrik Spiegel and Cornelis Jan Witsen (Nicolaes Witsen's father), administrators of the East and West India Companies respectively. In Nicolaes Witsen's "Scheepsbouw" (1671), we see more of Nieuhoff's material, on Chinese ships.

Translations into French (1665), German (1666), Latin (1668) and English (1669) were also published, each going into at least two editions.

The 150 illustrations were one inspiration for chinoiserie, which became especially popular in the 18th century. Many artists and architects based their designs on the pictures in Nieuhoff's book. The original drawings were rediscovered in 1984 in the collection of prince Roland Bonaparte, an anthropologist who collected material about Madagascar, Lapland and the Native Americans.

Works

• Het Gezandtschap der Neêrlandtsche Oost-Indische Compagnie, aan den grooten Tartarischen Cham, den tegenwoordigen Keizer van China: Waarin de gedenkwaerdigste Geschiedenissen, die onder het reizen door de Sineesche landtschappen, Quantung, Kiangsi, Nanking, Xantung en Peking, en aan het Keizerlijke Hof te Peking, sedert den jaren 1655 tot 1657 zijn voorgevallen, op het bondigste verhandelt worden. Beneffens een Naukeurige Beschrijvinge der Sineesche Steden, Dorpen, Regeering, Weetenschappen, Hantwerken, Zeden, Godsdiensten, Gebouwen, Drachten, Schepen, Bergen, Gewassen, Dieren, etcetera en oorlogen tegen de Tartars. 5th edition, Amsterdam: Wolfgang, Waasberge, Boom, van Somerten, and Goethals, 1693.

A drawing depicting the city of Kochi published in 1682

• Zee- en Lant-Reise door verscheide Gewesten van Oostindien, behelzende veele zeldzaame en wonderlijke voorvallen en geschiedenissen. Beneffens een beschrijving van lantschappen, dieren, gewassen, draghten, zeden en godsdienst der inwoonders: En inzonderheit een wijtloopig verhael der Stad Batavia. Amsterdam: de Weduwe van Jacob van Meurs, 1682.
• Gedenkweerdige Brasiliaense Zee- en Lant-Reise und Zee- en Lant-Reize door verscheide Gewesten van Oostindien. Amsterdam: de Weduwe van Jacob van Meurs, 1682.

Bibliography

• Blussé, L. & R. Falkenburg (1987) Johan Nieuwhofs beelden van een Chinareis, 1655-1657. Middelburg.
• Nieuhof, J. (1988) Voyages & Travels to the East Indies 1653-1670. Oxford University Press (facsimile reprint).
• Ulrichs. F. (2003) Johan Nieuhofs Blick auf China (1655-1657). Wiesbaden. ISBN 3447047089

External links

• Johan Nieuhoff's Drawings of China
• Die Gesantschaft der Ost-Indischen Geselschaft in den Vereinigten Niederländern an den Tartarischen Cham und nunmehr auch Sinischen Keise.. by Johan Nieuhof, 1666.
• http://www.digischool.nl/ckv2/burger/burger17de/nieuhof.htm
• http://www.iisg.nl/collections/akademiebibliotheek/papers/nieuhof.php#top
• Nieuhof, Johannes, 1618-1672 / "An embassy from the East-India Company of the United Provinces, to the Grand Tartar Cham, emperor of China: delivered by their excellencies Peter de Goyer and Jacob de Keyzer, at his imperial city of Peking wherein the cities, towns, villages, ports, rivers, &c. in their passages from Canton to Peking are ingeniously described by John Nieuhoff; ... Englished and set forth with their several sculptures by John Ogilby" (1673)