Gebouw Het Zeerecht op de Prins Hendrikkade te Amsterdam 1632 - 1666

Jan Abrahamsz. Beerstraten created this drawing of the 'Gebouw Het Zeerecht op de Prins Hendrikkade te Amsterdam' using graphite on paper, sometime in the mid-17th century. The linear quality of graphite allows for meticulous detail, defining the Zeerecht building's facade and surrounding maritime activity, from the wooden barrels to the ships' masts. Graphite, in its very nature, embodies a relationship between artistic gesture and industrial processes: the harvesting and refinement of graphite demands physical labor, shaping the potential for the artwork's emergence. The texture of the paper support also has its place in this dynamic, providing both resistance and receptivity to the graphite, and revealing the artist's skill. Considering that Amsterdam was a bustling center of trade and naval power during the Dutch Golden Age, we can see how this drawing's linear precision is less about pure aesthetics and more about the commercial and material foundations of Dutch society. It reflects how art serves as a document of economic activities and the built environment that enabled them.