Deze prent vertoond u hier / De zee-slag van drie helde fier 1725 - 1780

Editor: This print, "Deze prent vertoond u hier / De zee-slag van drie helde fier" by Johannes (II) Kannewet, dates from sometime between 1725 and 1780. It's an engraving depicting a sea battle and some portraits, held in the Rijksmuseum collection. It strikes me as quite crowded, but also orderly, given the subject. What’s your take on this piece? Curator: The "order" you perceive might speak to the era's inclination to impose structure even onto chaotic events like naval battles. But look closer; it also reads as propagandistic. Who were these "helde fier"—"fierce heroes"? What political narratives are being constructed here through the careful arrangement of imagery? Notice how the artist juxtaposes portraits with scenes of battle and what looks like a civic procession. Editor: So, it's not just a depiction of a battle, it's promoting a certain idea about those involved? Is the choice of scenes intentional? Curator: Absolutely. This print, circulated broadly, shapes public perception. Consider how each element - the portraits, the sea battle, and even the civic procession - functions rhetorically. How do they contribute to the construction of Dutch identity and the justification of maritime power at the time? Whose story is being amplified, and whose is silenced or marginalized? What can this piece tell us about Dutch mercantile history and class divisions in the 18th Century? Editor: That gives me a lot to consider in understanding the function of these prints in their own historical moment. Thank you! Curator: It's a reminder that even seemingly straightforward historical images can be complex sites of power, ideology, and social construction. Now, go forth and question every image you encounter.