Comité van Koophandel en Zeevaart, 1795 1799

This engraving, "Comité van Koophandel en Zeevaart" from 1795, uses a limited palette of sanguine ink to create an open-air scene. The composition is horizontally structured with three figures dominating the foreground, set against a backdrop of sea and sky. The sparse use of line work and absence of color variation creates a flattened effect, typical of engravings, and evokes a sense of distance. The figures—a craftsman, merchant and seamstress—are placed on the shore, near a modest sailing ship. The organization of the scene can be seen as a visual encoding of economic structures, reflecting the mercantilist ideology of the period. The figures and boat signify the interconnected roles of production, trade, and maritime transport, while the linear style of the engraving suggests a rational, ordered view of economic activity. The lack of shading reduces the characters to graphic signs which encourages us to consider the image as a structured system of signs that reflect broader cultural and economic concepts. The artwork functions as a coded representation, inviting interpretation of its visual components through the lens of economic theory.