After the Battle 1635 - 1670

Curator: This is "After the Battle," an etching and engraving by Reinier Nooms, dating from approximately 1635 to 1670. Editor: It has a slightly melancholic feel. Despite the detail, especially in those meticulously rendered ships, the scene feels subdued, almost quiet. It's all grayscale. Curator: Nooms, also known as Zeeman, was himself a sailor, and that intimate knowledge of ships and the sea is evident. Prints like this were quite popular, weren't they? They helped to construct a public image of Dutch maritime power and trade. Editor: Absolutely. You see it right here – the work, labor of the many hands needed to construct and navigate such vessels, distilled into an object, accessible, almost democratized, through the printing process. Consider the copper plate. Curator: Exactly. Consider also that the imagery supported national narratives, portraying naval strength during a time of considerable conflict and colonial expansion. It becomes a political tool, depicting and reinforcing power dynamics. Editor: And the realism of the ship’s construction—the ropes, sails, planking, these are lovingly reproduced. How they hold the wind and engage in trade or… battle. One sees not only skill, but material awareness embedded into each strike of the engraving tool into metal. Curator: Furthermore, by the 17th century, these prints entered a broader market. They furnished homes, filled albums, and propagated ideals of maritime dominance. Editor: Yes, we begin with metal, the ground, as base matter, imprinted with images, a potent social text formed from human work and ambition—a far reach from Noom’s time aboard ship. Curator: It really highlights the interesting interplay between the artist's personal experiences and the larger historical forces at play. Editor: Seeing this reminds us how deeply connected the social and material worlds can be, leaving one to imagine a different reading as we return back to this image at a later date.