Skibet og sødyret 1748 - 1831

0:00

print, etching

narrative-art

print

etching

landscape

Dimensions: 189 mm (height) x 126 mm (width) (bladmaal), 185 mm (height) x 123 mm (width) (plademaal), 169 mm (height) x 104 mm (width) (billedmaal)

J.F. Clemens created this print, Ship and Sea Monster, in Denmark at the turn of the 19th century using engraving techniques. It's a fantastical scene showing a sailing ship and a sea monster, possibly a narwhal, in a turbulent ocean. Prints like this one were often made for mass consumption, circulating images and ideas to a wide audience. In this period, the sea held a powerful symbolic place in Danish culture, representing both opportunity and danger, and the relationship between humans and nature. Here, the ship symbolizes human exploration and the mastery of nature, while the sea monster reflects the unknown and uncontrollable forces of the natural world. The image speaks to the growth of scientific and artistic institutions at this time, but also to the popular appetite for myth and legend. To fully understand the cultural significance of such an image, we might consult popular literature of the period, or the records of scientific societies. It's through this kind of social and institutional history that we can understand the real currents that shaped artistic production.