The statue of

Jan van Riebeeck Johan Anthoniszoon "Jan" van Riebeeck (21 April 1619 – 18 January 1677) was a Dutch navigator and colonial administrator of the Dutch East India Company. Life Early life Jan van Riebeeck was born in Culemborg, as the son of a surgeon. He ...

lies alongside the statue of Maria van Riebeeck on Heerengracht Street in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. Both statues stand with their backs to the sea looking south to

Table Mountain Table Mountain ( naq, Huriǂoaxa, lit= sea-emerging; af, Tafelberg) is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa. It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the ...

. The statue was donated by

Cecil Rhodes Cecil John Rhodes (5 July 1853 – 26 March 1902) was a British mining magnate and politician in southern Africa who served as Prime Minister of the Cape Colony from 1890 to 1896. An ardent believer in British imperialism, Rhodes and his Br ...

to the city of Cape Town. He paid the Scottish sculptor

John Tweed John Tweed (21 January 1869 – 12 November 1933) was a Scottish sculptor. Early life John Tweed was born at 16 Great Portland Street, Glasgow and studied at the Glasgow School of Art. He then trained with Hamo Thornycroft in London, and atten ...

£1,000 for the work, partly on the condition that the statue not show Tweed's name and be larger than life-size. The statue lies on a Cape granite pedestal 4¼ m high designed by an architect friend of Tweed's. This further inflated the cost. On 18 May 1899, Cape Town Mayor Thomas Ball unveiled the bronze statue in the presence of the entire

City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

, national politicians, and members of the public, but in the absence of Rhodes, then sojourning in Europe. Rhodes chose to situate the statue where Van Riebeeck set foot ashore. Due to the development of the harbour and the city's growth, the statue has been overshadowed by skyscrapers. Over time, a large roundabout was developed at the site, once called Heerengracht, and in 1969, a statue of

Maria van Riebeeck Maria van Riebeeck (née de la Queillerie; 28 October 1629 – 2 November 1664) was a French Huguenot who was the first wife of Jan van Riebeeck, the Dutch colonial administrator and first commander of the settlement at the Cape. Life She ...

was laid to the right of her husband's. There is no image that can be said to certainly depict the founder of the Cape refreshment station. In the statue, Van Riebeeck's sword is sheathed, and he carries his walking stick in his right hand. The dress in the statue is historically inaccurate. Overhanging shoulder straps were out of fashion in the mid-17th century, and knee

breeches Breeches ( ) are an article of clothing covering the body from the waist down, with separate coverings for each human leg, leg, usually stopping just below the knee, though in some cases reaching to the ankles. Formerly a standard item of Weste ...

and the jacker Van Riebeeck is wearing only became popular after his departure for

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...

. Hat feathers were in fashion, but are missing in the statue. Each year on 6 April, Founders Day, wreaths were laid at the statues of Jan and Maria van Riebeeck. In his poem, "Oor monnemente gepraat" ("speaking of monuments"), Peter Blum writes:

here is Jan van Riebeeck, very handsome in his
plus fours Plus fours are breeches or trousers that extend four inches (10 cm) below the knee (and thus four inches longer than traditional knickerbockers, hence the name). Knickerbockers have been traditionally associated with sporting attire sinc ...
; ....

In Van Riebeeck's birthplace of

Culemborg Culemborg () is a municipality and a city in the centre of the Netherlands. The city had a population of 29,386 on 1 January 2022 and is situated just south of the Lek river. Direct train lines run from the railway station towards the cities of U ...

is a bust of Van Riebeeck, donated by the Cape Town City Council.

Bibliography

* ''

Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa The ''Standard Encyclopædia of Southern Africa'' (''SESA'') is a 12-volume encyclopaedia that is principally about the Republic of South Africa and nearby countries. About 1400 people contributed to the encyclopaedia. The first two volumes we ...

'', vol. 11. Cape Town: Nasou, 1975. * Van Tonder, J.J. (ed.). ''Veertien gedenktekens van Suid-Afrika''. Cape Town: N.B.B., 1961. Cecil Rhodes 1899 establishments in South Africa van Riebeeck, Jan Outdoor sculptures in South Africa {{Sculpture-stub