Gezicht op Vejer de la Frontera 1694 - 1737

Pieter van den Berge created this print of Vejer de la Frontera, likely in the late 17th or early 18th century. It offers a bird's-eye view of the Spanish town, perched strategically on a hilltop. But this isn’t just a neutral depiction; it speaks to the complex political landscape of the time. Consider the vantage point and the inscription's reference to Africa. Spain and the Dutch Republic were both major players in global trade and colonization. This image highlights the strategic importance of Vejer as a point of connection between Europe and Africa, and by extension, as a site of potential conflict and control. The work reminds us that seemingly simple landscape views were often embedded with coded messages about power, territory, and the burgeoning colonial project. To fully understand this print, we would need to delve into the history of Dutch printmaking, Spanish-Dutch relations, and the visual language of cartography. Art historians use a range of sources to situate works within their historical context.