Zeegezicht met volle maan 1779 - 1781

Cornelis Brouwer made this etching, "Seascape with Full Moon," sometime in the late 18th century. It captures ships sailing on a moonlit night, a popular subject in Dutch Golden Age painting, but here, it is rendered in a more modern, Neoclassical style. The etching was made in the Netherlands during a period of economic decline. The Dutch Republic had lost its position as a leading European power, but still possessed a strong cultural identity. Maritime scenes like this were highly valued, evoking a sense of national pride in the country's seafaring history and its control of international trade routes. Institutions like the Rijksmuseum, where this etching is held today, played a crucial role in preserving and celebrating this cultural heritage. Art historians use a variety of sources to understand such works, including archival records, period writings, and other artworks from the time, to understand the social and cultural context in which the art was made and viewed. The meaning of Brouwer's seascape, like that of any artwork, is thus not fixed but always open to reinterpretation.