Bedrijvigheid op een rivier

Jan Vincentsz. van der Vinne created this etching titled 'Activity on a River'. Van der Vinne was working in the Dutch Republic, a society whose wealth and power was built upon maritime trade. This image gives us a sense of the Republic’s complex relationship to its waterways. We see a number of boats with men working, going about their business. In the background, there is a mill, and what looks like a church. This etching captures the commercial enterprise of the Dutch Golden Age and hints at its Protestant work ethic. However, it would be a mistake to see the Dutch Golden Age as an uncomplicated success story. While the Dutch Republic enjoyed unprecedented prosperity, this prosperity was in part due to the exploitation of enslaved Africans. The Dutch East India company was the major employer in the country, and it was deeply involved in the slave trade. Historians use archival sources such as trade records to understand the nuances of the Dutch Golden Age.