| The travel series published by Cornelis Claesz in Amsterdam between 1598 and 1603 exemplify early European ethnography of peoples from Asia, Africa, and the Americas. In their textual and especially pictorial formats, Claesz's travel series influenced the depiction and reception by Europeans of various peoples in the world. The production and reception of the engravings within shed light on the early modern confluence of past intellectual tradition and the development of modern science. Considering the engraved illustrations within the context of past intellectual tradition, emerging scientific empiricism, and print, book and cartographic production practices, I explore how these systems affected Europeans' pictorialization and differentiation of non-Europeans. My thesis is a contribution to the study of early modern intellectual history, and with its pre-colonial focus, it is a much-needed addition to post-colonial discourse. These book illustrations demonstrate the significance of visual culture in the formation and communication of ideas in the early modern period. |
