Diorama of sugar plantation Merveille, Suriname

This is sugar plantation Merveille: A diorama made by Gerrit Schouten. It is constructed entirely out of papier mache. When you stand right in front of it, everything is just right: the whole scene is entirely in perspective. And when you move a little to the right or left, the perspective starts to shift about. It's been done in a really skilful way. On the right, you can see a river flowing: that is the Suriname River. And on the river there are two boats that are just mooring alongside the plantation quay. The boat in front is a pondo, and the boat behind is a tent boat: you can see a hut, and in front of that the rowers, they are slaves. All sorts of products are being unloaded and to the left, in the shadow of the palm tree, behind it, you can see a building with pillars: that is the plantation hospital. The building on the far left is the kitchen -- if you look carefully you will see smoke coming from the chimney. And the large building, behind the other palm tree, is the residence of the plantation director. But what things really revolve around on a sugar plantation is of course the sugar factory, and that is actually hidden away slightly, in the middle of this diorama. That is where the real work took place: where the sweet juices were extracted from the sugar cane.

circa 70 x 125 x 40cm (27 9/16 x 49 3/16 x 15 3/4in.)

Source: collectie.tropenmuseum.nl