Het schip wordt op de andere zijde gekeerd, plaat nr. 9, ca. 1700 1690 - 1710

Curator: What a wonderfully odd scene. This is an etching, one of a series dating from around 1700, by Sieuwert van der Meulen. It's titled "Het schip wordt op de andere zijde gekeerd," which roughly translates to "The ship is turned on its side." Quite literal, wouldn't you say? Editor: Indeed. The mood is peculiar, almost unsettling. It's not simply a portrayal of labour. There's a kind of forced perspective here – the ship looms almost precariously, dwarfing the tiny figures below. What are they even doing? Curator: They're careening it, or 'keelhauling', as the Dutch inscription says. Cleaning the hull, repairing damage... imagine the labor involved! You see those figures beneath, almost obscured? Like ants. Editor: Ants indeed, mirroring the structure of society at the time. The sheer scale difference screams about the exploitation of labour during the rise of maritime power in the Netherlands. A system built quite literally upon the backs of many. The image is, in its own way, a very loud critique. Curator: That's an interesting take! To me, the focus feels more on the ship itself – its vulnerability as it's turned, revealing its underside. And consider the time it was made. Van der Meulen was deeply entrenched in the Baroque style – a flourish of detail in service of depicting very real themes. Editor: Baroque’s embellishment often served as a gilded cage around brutal realities, though. And this image captures a pivotal moment. The turned ship can be a metaphor, perhaps for revealing the darker sides of trade, the obscured mechanics of colonial enterprise coming to light? Curator: Perhaps you are right. Although, the detail Van der Meulen manages is amazing... Look at the ropes, the planks, even the clouds have an active, textural presence. I almost get seasick just looking at this tipped vessel. It makes one feel that fragility of even great empires, perhaps... Editor: Empires and the inherent, fragile human systems holding them in place. So reliant upon untold hands and broken backs… this ship, exposed, feels less a portrait of grandeur, more of its consequence.