Faam vliegt over de personificaties van handel, overvloed en zeevaart c. 1683 - 1740

Gilliam van der Gouwen created this print, “Faam vliegt over de personificaties van handel, overvloed en zeevaart”, sometime before 1740. The image, allegorical in nature, presents Fame flying above personifications of trade, abundance and seafaring. During the 18th century, the Dutch Republic was a major player in global trade, yet this wealth was built on a deeply troubling foundation: the exploitation and enslavement of people in colonized territories. The very symbols of trade and abundance in this print are tainted by the human cost of colonialism. The female personifications are idealized and generalized. While the artwork ostensibly celebrates Dutch prosperity, it also unwittingly reveals the complex moral questions of the time. As an etching, it invites the viewer to examine the layers of meaning embedded in symbols of wealth and power, urging us to consider whose stories are elevated and whose are suppressed.