Portret van Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter (1607-76), luitenant-admiraal 1875 - 1876

Johannes Arnoldus Boland made this print of Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter in the 19th century using etching. Boland's image of the famous Dutch admiral draws on a visual language of power that developed during the Dutch Golden Age. De Ruyter's confident stance, rich clothing, and the symbols of global power around him – the globe, the naval battle in the background – speak to the Netherlands’s maritime dominance in the 17th century. This etching was made at a time when the Netherlands was reflecting on its colonial past and the legacies of figures like De Ruyter. By understanding the visual codes of power employed in this image, and researching the history of Dutch maritime power, we can start to unpack the complex and often contradictory meanings that De Ruyter held, and continues to hold, in Dutch culture.