Jan Bart verovert een Hollands fregat bij Duinkerke, 1675 1806

Yves Marie Le Gouaz etched this print, now in the Rijksmuseum, depicting Jan Bart's conquest of a Dutch frigate in 1675. Here, the dominant symbol is the ship itself, a vessel laden with meaning that traverses time. For centuries, ships have represented not only exploration and commerce, but also the perilous dance between humanity and nature. Smoke billows around the ships, evoking the chaos and intensity of battle. The image of ships locked in combat recalls earlier naval battles immortalized in art, like those in classical Roman mosaics depicting sea victories. We see echoes of this in later works too, such as Turner’s stormy seascapes. The ship, therefore, becomes a vessel carrying cultural memory, its form evolving, yet its symbolic weight enduring. This echoes across time, a testament to the enduring power of symbols to evoke the collective memory and to engage our deepest emotions.