Dirck Hartogh dish 1600 - 1616

anonymous

water colours

sculptural image

possibly oil pastel

stoneware

underpainting

pastel chalk drawing

ceramic

watercolour bleed

watercolour illustration

watercolor

This 17th-century Dutch pewter dish, created by an unknown artist, features a circular inscription in Latin. The inscription is likely commemorative and may have been a personal inscription commemorating an event or individual. The dish itself is an example of the Dutch tradition of pewterware. The dish is slightly worn and damaged, a testament to its age and use, but the inscribed text remains visible, offering a glimpse into the life and customs of the period. The inscription, once fully legible, could provide further insight into the history of the dish and its intended purpose.

Comments

rijksmuseum over 1 year ago

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‘Arrived here on 25 October 1616’ is the message of this flattened pewter dish. En route to Java, VOC captain Dirck Hartogh accidentally happened upon Australia’s west coast. Before sailing on he had the date, the ship’s name and destination, and the names of the most important crewmembers scratched into this dish. He nailed it to a pole, where it hung exposed to the elements until another Dutch captain found and took it along close to 80 years later.