Domestic Interiors of the Cape and Batavia 1602–1795

This publication offers a pioneering comparative study of domestic interiors in two key colonial outposts of the Dutch East India Company (VOC): the Cape of Good Hope and Batavia (modern-day Jakarta). Published to mark the 400th anniversary of the VOC and the 350th anniversary of Jan van Riebeeck’s arrival at the Cape, the book explores the furnishings, architecture, and material culture that shaped daily life in VOC households between 1602 and 1795.

Domestic Interiors of the Cape and Batavia is the first work to examine Cape and Indies furniture in relation to each other, highlighting the Cape’s role as a strategic VOC stopover and its deep connections with both Holland and Batavia. Through historical analysis and richly detailed imagery, the book investigates the adaptation of European forms in colonial contexts and the emergence of distinctive regional styles shaped by global trade, local materials, and cross-cultural exchange.

Publication Details:

• Authors: Monique van de Geijn-Verhoeven, Antonia Malan, Jan Veenendaal, Karel Schoeman, Deon Viljoen, Nigel Worden
• Publisher: Waanders Publishers B.V., Zwolle (2002)
• Language: English
• Format: Hardcover with dust jacket
• Pages: 240 pages
• Dimensions: 25 x 32 cm
• ISBN: 9040087156

Condition:

• Book: Very Good. Light general wear to covers with mild bumping to front corners. Faint dust soiling to top edge of the text block. Soft age-toning to page edges. Foxing to a few preliminary and terminal pages. Internally clean and well-preserved.
• Dust Jacket: Good. Light shelf wear with soft creasing. Foxing present on the interior.