Schepen op de rede van Batavia 1779

Mathias de Sallieth's print "Schepen op de rede van Batavia" offers a detailed view of ships in Batavia's Roads. The composition is structured by a contrast between the detailed ships and the softer rendering of the sky and distant shore. De Sallieth uses a system of signs, where the ships symbolize trade power and colonial reach, set against the backdrop of Batavia. The use of light and shadow doesn't just render form, but suggests a visual and ideological tension between the imposing presence of the colonial power and the distant, almost ethereal depiction of the colonized land. The detailed rendering of the ships and their activity, compared to the softer focus on the distant land, emphasizes a hierarchy of visual and symbolic importance. This difference in focus functions not only as an aesthetic choice, but also as part of a larger cultural narrative about power, trade, and colonial expansion.