Gevecht tussen Tromp en Spragge tijdens de zeeslag bij Kijkduin, 1673 1690 - 1692

Curator: Here we have an engraving by Bastiaen Stopendael, created between 1690 and 1692. It depicts the Battle of Kijkduin of 1673, and it's currently housed in the Rijksmuseum. Editor: It looks like organized chaos! So many ships, and the smoke creates a real sense of immediacy and intense action. A properly rousing scene. Curator: Indeed. Note how Stopendael has structured the composition: the lower register showcases individual ships and figures identified numerically. A fascinating choice to ground such a tempestuous scene with precise details. Editor: It's interesting how that key focuses my eye. I'm scanning and deciphering all these figures... like reading an infographic. The artist pulls me in, makes me participate, rather than just observe. I can almost smell the gunpowder! Curator: Precisely. The use of engraving allows for that incredible level of detail. Also, let’s consider the artistic liberties. While classified as history painting, how reliable is this depiction in terms of historical accuracy? Notice how the perspective flattens, giving a bird's-eye view which is impossible for any one observer. Editor: It does give it a bit of a theatrical, almost staged quality, doesn't it? That banner proclaiming "Tromp and Sprague" adds to the drama, a sort of declarative statement hanging above the maelstrom. It certainly makes me want to learn more about what was going on at that particular moment in the Anglo-Dutch wars. Curator: Well, it commemorates a victory of the Dutch fleet over the Anglo-French fleet in the Third Anglo-Dutch War. A landmark, no doubt a moment to commemorate and propagate in print! What begins to fascinate me here is, through this high detail, we gain so much more access to cultural attitudes, social mores, military organization as expressed through visual devices of representation... Editor: And for me, the true mark of this is how such a seemingly detailed representation gives more scope to the viewer to start from historical accuracy and go anywhere, allowing for multiple emotional states! The artist gives such an invitation with every line and plume of smoke. Curator: An energetic proposition indeed!