Van Held Van Speijk wordt hier een tafereel gegeven, / Hij redde Oud-Hollands vlag ten koste van zijn leven 1832 - 1850

Curator: This engraving, whose title translates to roughly, "Van Speijk becomes a spectacle, saving the Old Dutch flag at the cost of his life," made by Theodorus Johannes Wijnhoven-Hendriksen, probably sometime between 1832 and 1850… it’s quite a story told in such a small format. Editor: Yes, small but intense! I immediately get a comic book vibe from this piece. The way it is split into panels makes it look more contemporary than it is. It reminds me of the Bayeux Tapestry somehow, only darker. Curator: Exactly! The way Wijnhoven-Hendriksen presents the narrative is significant. Each panel depicts a key moment in Van Speijk's life, culminating in his ultimate sacrifice. It's propaganda really, reinforcing nationalistic ideals through a widely accessible visual medium. Editor: But isn’t it also touching, the heroic myth building. The stoic, almost theatrical poses and tragic culmination are strangely romantic, but then the engraving, the printmaking itself feels very…raw. Did that serve the story? Curator: The engraving medium allows for mass production and broad distribution, making it accessible to a wider public. That rawness enhances the message: this wasn’t a glossy heroic act but something harsh, real, and born from sacrifice. It reflects the turbulent socio-political landscape of the time, when national identity was actively being constructed and promoted. Editor: There is definitely a clear moral here; country above self. But these images of the blast… and all those bodies in the water. It’s very impactful and gruesome. So while, on the surface it reads like patriotism it reveals something truly grave at its heart. Curator: The politics of imagery is certainly potent in this print. The depiction of Van Speijk, the explosion, and his glorious fall – this isn’t just history painting. This artwork actively shapes public memory. Editor: I now see more beyond the action of panels of a simple narrative, and all this embedded inside one small and striking visual package. Curator: Agreed, there’s far more here than first meets the eye in this Rijksmuseum treasure.