Dr. Ulrich Meyer (1638-1692) was an Oberchirurg (Chief Surgeon) from Winterthur, who worked with the Dutch East India Company on the Banda Islands. During his time abroad he has sent a selection of objects back to Winterthur in 1667.
The Swiss institution that received the objects from Dr. Meyer became an important early repository for the collection of exotic objects. Founded in 1660, the Winterthur museum constitutes one of the oldest public collections within Switzerland. Originally a ”Collection of Rarities (Raritätensammlung)” and a part of the public library, the Bürgerbibliothek contained a range of exotic objects, including a selection of objects from East Asia. A little collection from Dr. Meyer, of which only four objects are extant now and are stored at the Naturmuseum Winterthur, are most probably the first East Asian objects to arrive in Swiss museums. The four objects were: a kris handle from Java, a kris from the Moluccas, Banda Islands, a lacquered box from Japan with a decoration of cranes, a pair of lotus shoes from China.
The varied origin of the objects brought by Meyer from the Banda islands is very notable. By the time of Meyer’s arrival the island was settled by people of various cultural backgrounds and the native Bandanese were but a small minority. The place had seen armed conflicts due to its rich natural resources, not only between European powers, but also between the Europeans and the native Bandanese. So perhaps this is the background with which these objects should be considered. They reflect the intensely international flavor of the place, where the population might have included not only the local Bandanese, but Chinese and Arab traders, Japanese residents, and the representatives of the Java culture, some 2000 km away. In short the objects that Dr. Meyer brought from Banda are evidence of a system of trade and exchange, and of a very international place and time.
Ulrich Meyer represents an important early stage in the history of object transfer between East Asia and Switzerland. The results of this survey were presented at an international conference in Heidelberg in 2012.
