Santiago, Navidad en het gevecht met de Spanjaarden, 1615 1617 - 1646

This print, titled "Santiago, Navidad en het gevecht met de Spanjaarden," was made anonymously around 1615 using the technique of engraving. The precision of the engraving, with its fine lines and detailed textures, lends itself well to the mapping of geographical space, portraying an imagined view of conflict in the ‘New World’ between the Spanish and the Dutch. The scenes, divided into different vignettes, show the bays of Santiago and Navidad with ships at sea, and Spanish soldiers positioned to defend themselves from attack. Engraving is an intaglio process, so called because the lines are incised into a metal plate. The image would have been carefully drawn, then cut into the metal with a tool called a burin. Ink is then applied and the surface wiped clean, leaving ink only in the engraved lines. This is then printed onto paper through a press, requiring considerable force. Prints like this one were essential for disseminating information in the 17th century. Through the laborious handwork of the engraver, they helped to shape public opinion about distant lands and ongoing conflicts.