Bird's eye view of Batavia at the time of the massacre of the Chinese

Bird's eye view of a part of the city of Batavia where there is fighting and houses are ablaze during the massacre of the Chinese in 1740.

In the foreground a number of houses with neck-gables crowned by a reclining moon stand in flames. To the right in the foreground several men are busy priming cannon aimed at the biggest house in the row, the house of the Chinese captain. In the street running in front of the blazing houses people in European and Eastern dress are battling it out with pistols, knives and clubs. Many bodies drift in the waters of the adjacent canal, while in nearby streets there are similar scenes of fighting and bodies in the water. To the right is the city hall of Batavia, where horsemen and troops stand waiting. In the background the fields outside the city are depicted.

The illustration is accompanied by a description of the massacre in the form of a poem.

In the background the point of Rotterdam is visible.

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