Dutch Influence And Culture Essay

To what extent has the Dutch, influence and their culture daubed off on this mas- terly work of art i.e. The Throne & footstool?
Chapter Introduction
The Dutch who ruled Ceylon for over 150 years came from Holland. They came here after the Portuguese, the first Western power to conquer Ceylon. When the Dutch Civil Servants first came to Ceylon they brought with them a few favourite movable articles of furniture including the Sea Chest to furnish their quarters.
Western domestic artistry penetrated Ceylon during the Portuguese period. The word ‘Almirah’ is the Portuguese name for the English wardrobe but elegant furniture designs were introduced by the Dutch. The foreign craftsmen from Holland who were brought here instructed our local craftsmen and they in turn turned out various household furniture in keeping with the designs that existed in the houses in Holland.
It is a well established fact that the Dutch Governor Van Rhee employed

Speaking of Euro- pean furniture in Ceylon it is fortunate that the period of the Dutch occupation of Ceylon coin- cided more or less with the golden age of furniture in Europe, that is to say , from the middle of 17th to the latter part of the 18th century.Furniture was probably first introduced to Ceylon towards the end of the Portuguese era. Undoubtedly most of the Portuguese furniture have been destroyed and theres hardly a single piece of Portuguese furniture left in the Island.There are many pieces which belong to to that period though they were probably made at a later date. It was natural that the Dutch in Sri Lanka inherited much of the models , designs, pat- terns, working techniques and their manufacturing processes and craft techniques that were practiced in the territories they wrested from the Portuguese, who were fond of a style that was highly