Gezicht op een scheepswerf 1720 - 1754

Jacques Rigaud’s “Gezicht op een scheepswerf” offers us a glimpse into 18th-century French naval construction. It’s a detailed rendering of a bustling shipyard, etched with the precision characteristic of the era’s printmaking. Rigaud’s work invites us to consider the social and political forces at play in maritime power. The artist presents us with a scene that celebrates French naval prowess. Yet it also unveils the labor and the human cost that underpinned such displays of power. Consider the figures toiling away; their bodies bent to the task, they are the engine of this maritime ambition. This image captures not only the technical aspects of shipbuilding but also the lives and labor that fueled it. How might the stories of these individuals change our view of history?