Aangespoelde potvis bij Egmond aan Zee, 1764 1764

Vincent Jansz. van der Vinne made this drawing in 1764, rendering ink and watercolor on paper. It depicts a beached sperm whale near Egmond aan Zee. The sepia wash gives the scene a documentary feel, as if capturing a news event. The artist uses thin, precise lines to define the whale's massive form, and the surrounding figures who have come to witness the spectacle. These onlookers, with their carefully rendered clothing, provide a human scale against the immensity of the whale. The application of ink and watercolor suggests a methodical, observational approach, in contrast to more expressive or painterly techniques. Consider the labor involved, not only in the creation of the drawing, but also in the whaling industry itself, and the communities who depended on it. The beached whale represents both a natural phenomenon, and the intersection of human activity with the natural world. The drawing emphasizes the cultural and economic significance of whaling in 18th-century Dutch society.