The Unseen World. India and the Netherlands from 1550

The Netherlands and India both experienced a period of economic and cultural prosperity in the seventeenth century. During this shared Golden Age both countries became profoundly influenced by increasing globalization and developed into large global empires. Thanks to the Dutch East India Company (VOC), the two countries met and intensive interaction developed. While the Indian textile caused a small revolution in the Dutch pattern of consumption, the VOC contributed to the monetary stability of the Indian Mogul Empire with its precious metals. In addition to trade contacts, there was an intellectual undercurrent that had connected the countries for centuries: the hidden world of the Neoplatonic imagination that brought about a remarkable artistic similarity between Dutch and Indian artists.