A Ship at Sea 1645 - 1708

This drawing of a ship at sea was made by Ludolf Backhuysen, a Dutch artist, using pen and brown ink with gray wash. Backhuysen was born in Emden, but moved to Amsterdam in 1650, a city at the heart of global maritime trade in the 17th century. Backhuysen specialized in marine paintings, a genre that served to represent the power and wealth of the Dutch Republic, which depended on its naval strength and its vast trading networks. This drawing is a study of a ship’s structure and its movement on the waves, perhaps made in preparation for a larger painting. By observing the detail of the rigging and the angle of the ship, we can infer a great deal about Dutch shipbuilding and sailing techniques in this period. Historical sources, such as ship plans, maritime accounts, and trade statistics, can tell us more about the crucial role that ships played in shaping Dutch identity and its colonial ambitions. The image on display asks us to think critically about the relationship between art, commerce, and empire.