Handel en koopvaardij, ca. 1600 1608

Claes Jansz. Visscher created this print, "Handel en koopvaardij," around 1600, now held at the Rijksmuseum. During this time, the Dutch Republic was a major maritime power, and prints like these were not just art, but also documents of a booming economy deeply entangled with global trade. This image invites us to consider the social complexities embedded in maritime trade, particularly the labor that sustained it. The artist shows a multitude of workers loading and unloading ships, indicating an active port. This was a period where wealth accumulation in Europe was directly tied to the exploitation of labor and resources in other parts of the world. It's impossible to ignore the relationship between Dutch prosperity and the colonial exploitation that was occurring elsewhere. While Visscher’s print might seem like a straightforward celebration of trade, it also hints at the human cost of this economic activity, inviting us to reflect on the stories of those whose labor fueled this era.