GERRITSZ., Joost
(b. ~1598 ?, d. ~1652 ?)
Dutch brass founder. No biographical data are available about him.
Candelabrum
This 350-cm-tall copper candelabrum was made in 1640 by Joost Gerritsz, a Dutch brass founder, and donated that same year by the Dutch East India Company to Japan’s shogun as part of a successful campaign to carry favour with the Japanese ruler: from 1641 until early in the 19th century, the Dutch enjoyed a European monopoly of trade with Japan. The candelabrum is now permanently on display in a complex of tombs and temples at Nikko in Japan.