Dozens of 17th-century documents detailing the early years of the Dutch East India Company and its dealings with the government and colonies have been returned to the national archives of the Netherlands after they were recovered by ‘art detective’ Arthur Brand.
Brand found the documents, stolen in 2015 by an archives employee, in a cardboard box in the attic of a home owned by the family of a man who had apparently taken them as collateral for a loan given to the renegade archivist. A family member contacted Brand. “I was totally shocked when the photos were sent to me,” Brand told broadcaster NOS. “These are top pieces, this is Unesco world heritage stuff.”
The collection includes a report on the founding of the company, licensed by the government to trade and colonize, in 1602, and includes the first use of its official logo, said by some to be the world’s first corporate logo. Also included are reports of naval battles from the company’s Admiral, Michiel de Ruyter, negotiations with various countries and colonized peoples and even minutes of government meetings.
The Archives were aware that material had been stolen, but not how or by whom, nor which items were included; “The archive has 145 kilometres of documents and if something is not in its place, you don’t know if it has been lent, digitised or something else,” spokeswoman Evy Elschot said. The thief has since died, so there will be no legal action.
