Lichter zonder mast 1609 - 1686

Curator: We're standing before "Lichter zonder mast," an engraving created by Dirk Eversen Lons sometime between 1609 and 1686. It’s currently held here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: My immediate impression is one of calm; the limited detail forces the eye to rest on the simple, rhythmic structure of the boat’s wooden planks and the water's surface. It's almost meditative. Curator: Absolutely, and to contextualize that serenity, we should note that the Dutch Golden Age, the period in which this was created, saw a massive surge in maritime activity. Lons’s work, like so much art of the time, reflects this, celebrating a vessel critical for commerce. However, without a mast, its purpose shifts from grand voyages to… Editor: More pragmatic uses—barging, likely? That absence focuses my attention on the single figure, presumably directing the craft along calmer, perhaps inland, waterways. He grounds the artwork in a very human scale of labor. Curator: Precisely. It's a snapshot of everyday life. This engraving speaks to the accessibility of maritime trade to ordinary citizens, moving away from solely heroic depictions. Editor: And visually, the oval format in which the boat is set feels quite deliberate. I wonder if Lons was intending to create a miniature world contained within those bounds. There is an implication here of the real, wider, world outside of it. It is all very nicely contrasted. Curator: A great point. We also have to read the Dutch verse printed just under the boat which suggests "a lighter without a mast is capable of loading many ships, that the ship's name sounds after..." A poem adding both narrative, descriptive, and lyrical content to what is being visually portrayed. Editor: Yes! It brings out some important layers in the print. Well, I appreciate this piece on so many levels and found the artist’s manipulation of scale particularly satisfying to think through. Curator: Agreed. It serves as an excellent reminder of the multiple voices present in Dutch Golden Age art beyond just the well known.