Allegorie op de scheepvaart 1751 - 1822

Curator: Ah, I find this print absolutely charming! The artist, Noach van der Meer the Younger, presents us with “Allegory on Shipping,” which historians believe was produced somewhere between 1751 and 1822. It’s an engraving currently held here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: My first thought is… complicated. There's this odd juxtaposition of violence with the cherubs and celestial beings floating above what looks like a fortified coastal town, and ships—war ships I imagine? There’s a cannon right at the front! It feels like a celebration, but also… foreboding? Curator: Exactly! The allegory is thick here. We’ve got putti embodying the tools and skills of navigation. One is holding a sextant, one is mapping, one is playing a maritime musical instrument--some form of conch shell. All those rosy, chubby cherubs almost distract from the fact this represents human control over the sea for trade, empire, potentially even conquest. It reflects both the potential and inherent danger. Editor: It feels like an artistic justification of colonialism, where even celestial forces and angelic figures endorse naval expansion. It also speaks to how the Dutch Golden Age relied on maritime power, and at what human cost. Seeing it rendered in such delicate engraving… it almost sanitizes the violence embedded within the global trade networks that are starting up at this time. Curator: Perhaps. Yet I also sense an almost childlike wonderment! It’s playful; van der Meer lets us momentarily get swept up in the artistic skill to appreciate the complexity and significance of navigation. Plus, you notice the details, with the distant city skyline mirroring that of some of the closer-up maritime instruments? Editor: Yes, there is a lot happening here! And those details become so poignant, because the visual harmony camouflages deeper societal tensions and the roots of systemic inequalities. It also showcases how integral art has been to statecraft for centuries. How power perpetuates itself in seemingly innocent depictions, and can act like a kind of propagandist tool. Curator: Well said. This is what is wonderful about it though. “Allegory on Shipping,” offers more than meets the eye. Each layer slowly unfolding upon closer viewing. Editor: Indeed. Looking at it again, I see it less as a glorification, but perhaps more like a critical moment that's rendered so delicately. It captures how intertwined progress is with underlying conflict, a sentiment that still echoes throughout the ages.