Grafmonument van Michiel de Ruyter in de Nieuwe Kerk te Amsterdam 1911

This photograph captures the imposing marble monument to Michiel de Ruyter, likely taken not long after its creation. The monument, located in Amsterdam's Nieuwe Kerk, serves as a powerful symbol of Dutch national pride and maritime power in the 17th century. Completed in the late 1670s, the monument reflects the cultural values of the Dutch Republic, where naval achievements were celebrated as integral to its economic and political strength. As a state-sponsored commission, the tomb broadcasts the idea of de Ruyter as a national hero through allegorical sculptures and inscriptions. The construction and placement of such a monument within a prominent church reveals the complex relationship between civic authority, religious institutions, and the glorification of military figures in Dutch society. Records held in the Amsterdam City Archives might shed further light on the negotiations and decisions that led to the commission. The monument also embodies a self-consciously progressive attitude towards commerce, and represents the growing power of Dutch institutions.