Driemaster met vliegende vissen 1594

Theodor de Bry created this engraving, "Driemaster met vliegende vissen," sometime in the late 16th century. It depicts a three-masted ship navigating waters teeming with fantastical flying fish. This image encapsulates the spirit of the Age of Exploration, a time when Europeans ventured into uncharted territories, fueled by the promise of new trade routes and resources. But let's not forget, this was also a period marked by colonial expansion and exploitation. The ship, a symbol of European power, cuts through a sea populated by exotic creatures, reflecting the encounter between European explorers and the natural world. It presents that world as populated by strange and potentially dangerous beings. To understand the full implications of this work, we need to consult historical accounts, maps, and scientific treatises from the period. Only then can we decipher the complex interplay of exploration, exploitation, and the construction of knowledge that shaped this era. In understanding this, we see how art is rooted in a specific social and institutional moment.