De zeilwagen van Simon Stevin, 1602 1640s

This anonymous engraving from 1602 depicts Simon Stevin’s sailing carriage. It gives visual form to a moment of Dutch ingenuity, but also to the social conditions that made it possible. Consider that this scene unfolds during the Eighty Years' War, when the Dutch Republic was fighting for independence from Spain. Innovation in engineering became tied to national identity and military strength. Stevin himself was a mathematician and engineer employed by the Dutch army. The sailing carriage, capable of moving troops quickly along the coastline, was as much a symbol of Dutch power as it was a practical invention. The print celebrates this, presenting a spectacle for the elite, who are shown riding in the carriage, while others look on. The production of this image, its distribution, and its consumption were all part of shaping public opinion and cementing the cultural authority of the Dutch Republic. Understanding this image fully requires us to delve into the archives, to reconstruct the political, economic, and technological landscape of the Dutch Golden Age. By doing so, we can see how art is not just a reflection of society, but an active participant in its construction.