De kroonprins van Bohemen verdrinkt op het IJ, 1629 1722 - 1784

Simon Fokke created this etching, "The Crown Prince of Bohemia Drowning on the IJ," around 1748, although it depicts an event from 1629. It shows a chaotic scene of a shipwreck, bodies flailing in the water, a capsized vessel, and turbulent skies. Produced in the Dutch Republic, the image memorializes a tragic event with political undertones. The drowning of Frederick Henry of the Palatinate, the crown prince, was not just a personal tragedy but a blow to Protestant hopes during the Thirty Years' War. Fokke’s print, made over a century later, reminds viewers of the ever-present dangers of the sea, which was both a source of Dutch wealth and a constant threat. To understand this work, historians consult period documents, naval records, and political pamphlets. Through these resources, we grasp how art serves not only as a record but also as a lens through which a society contemplates its history, its values, and its place in the world.