Koopvaardij hoeker met één mast 1787

Gerrit Groenewegen created this etching of a single-masted merchant ship, known as a ‘koopvaardij hoeker’, sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century. Groenewegen lived in a Netherlands that was a major maritime power, deeply involved in international trade and colonialism. The ship depicted here wasn't merely a vessel of commerce; it was a symbol of a complex, often brutal system of exchange. As we look at the ship, consider what it carried: goods, yes, but also the weight of human stories, the forced labor of enslaved peoples, and the displacement of indigenous populations. The ship embodies both a sense of adventure and the dark realities of empire. This image exists as a reminder of the intertwined nature of exploration, exploitation, and the human cost of progress. It leaves us to reflect on the legacy of maritime trade and its impact on the world we inhabit today.