De wyde zee hereent verafgelegen landen; / Elk voert zyn overvloed van d'een naar de andre stranden. / Indien het menschdom zorgt voor d'algemeenen vree, / dan kan men 't oorlogsschip wel missen op de zee 1806 - 1830

Curator: Here we have a print from between 1806 and 1830, attributed to Jacob Plügger, currently residing in the Rijksmuseum. It's an engraving, and features twelve different types of ships, each in its own little square. It almost looks like a maritime encyclopedia condensed onto a single sheet! Editor: You know, looking at this, I get this peculiar feeling, like staring at a naval lineup card but it is charged with nostalgia—like thumbing through faded memories of wooden ships in a world of sails. What's it evoke in you? Curator: I’d say the charm here really lies in how meticulously Plügger renders each vessel. It's not just about depicting ships; there's attention to their structural detail, the rigging, the hull shapes—everything to differentiate a ‘Kanooneerboot’ from a ‘Hollandse Schooner’. Each panel presents a specific typology and naval classification that goes far beyond simple visual depiction. Editor: Right. And that title... a poem really! Something like "The wide sea unites faraway lands, Each carries its abundance from one shore to the other. If mankind strives for universal peace, then one can do without the warship on the sea." How can we be so optimistic and then need a dozen warships to look at? What's the connection? Curator: It really strikes to the core of early 19th-century ambivalence! The piece, on one hand, depicts the increasing connectivity and possibility enabled by seafaring; it hints towards peaceful exchange. And then, bam, the omnipresent necessity, and maybe even beauty of naval power! Look how much precise work it must have been. Plügger meticulously outlines them. Editor: I notice the sea state he suggests! So calm. Like pond scum. Not terribly convincing somehow. In the lower images it has energy—but only just! Curator: Ultimately, Plügger captures a moment where technological advancement meets socio-political idealism. A really potent moment where our relationship to maritime navigation still hangs on. Editor: It feels we see how dreams sail along reality's rough edges. So interesting! Thanks for diving deep, into these shallow seas.