Dutch Colonialism

There is always somebody who wants to airbrush out history. Nicolaas van der Waay's painting Homage of the Colonies (detail shown) decorates one side of the Golden Carriage given to Queen Wilhelmina by the people of Amsterdam as a gift in 1898. The painting celebrates Amsterdam's Golden Age as the wealthy hub of a 17th-century naval empire; but dark, semi-naked colonials lay treasures at the feet of an enthroned queen, including ivory. Racist! cry detractors. Slavery! They want the painting removed. A spokesperson for the Dutch royal family gave the idea the bum's rush: "We are not going to rewrite history by destroying the Golden Carriage" (title link). Quite right. Let the art remain.