Sailing Vessels and Sloop 1635 - 1670

This print of sailing vessels and a sloop was made by Reinier Nooms in the Dutch Republic in the mid-17th century. Look closely and you'll notice the prominence given to maritime activity here. In this period, the Republic was a world leader in overseas trade. Nooms, himself a sailor, became famous for depictions of ships, sea battles, and cityscapes with prominent harbors. This etching embodies Dutch mercantile power in its golden age. The presence of the Dutch flag on many of the ships alludes to the dominance of the Dutch East India Company. This was a time of great wealth, but this wealth relied on the exploitation of labor and resources abroad, and on the institution of slavery. We can use archival sources, such as shipping records and company documents, to understand the full story behind this image of Dutch seafaring. What does it mean to represent maritime power in this way? Art is always embedded in social relations.