Twee zeilschepen bij een krijtrots 1703

Wigerus Vitringa made this drawing of two sailing ships near a chalk cliff in pen and brown ink with a grey wash. Vitringa was a marine painter, working in the Netherlands during its Golden Age. The Dutch Golden Age was a period of unprecedented trade, and art reflected this wealth. The sea was both a source of prosperity and danger and seascapes were popular. But this drawing is not straightforwardly celebratory. The ship on the right looks to be in trouble near the rocks. The sea is not rendered as calm. Vitringa seems to be playing with the visual codes of marine painting. Is he drawing attention to the dangers on which Dutch trade was built? Or is he commenting on the relationship between the institutions of art and its patrons? Perhaps further archival research into Dutch maritime history and the art market would reveal more. The meaning of this artwork is contingent on understanding its social and institutional context.