Portret van Evert Christiaan Staring 1781 - 1816

This engraving of Evert Christiaan Staring, Kapitein ter Zee, was made by Reinier Vinkeles, an artist working in the Netherlands in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Engravings like this were common ways of depicting public figures at this time. As opposed to painting, printmaking allowed for relatively quick and cheap reproductions, so images could circulate widely. The surrounding imagery in the print is packed with maritime and military references, underscoring the importance of Dutch naval power and commerce at this time. Dutch trade and military power were organized around the Dutch East India Company, a powerful institution in the early modern world. The Company's ships and sailors played a large part in Dutch society and were seen as upholding particular values. This image reflects the self-conscious way that members of Dutch society saw themselves in this period. To understand this image better, we might research the history of the Dutch East India Company, and the political function of portraiture in the Netherlands at this time.