Een jacht gebouwd voor de prins van Oranje-Nassau 1663

Willem van de Velde the Elder rendered this drawing of ‘A yacht built for the prince of Orange-Nassau’ using pen in grey-brown and brush in grey. Van de Velde, who dedicated himself to maritime painting, lived during the Eighty Years’ War, a period marked by naval conflicts and the rise of the Dutch Republic as a major maritime power. The ship symbolizes Dutch power and prosperity in the 17th century. It would be interesting to know how the workers who built the ship felt. They were the backbone of this maritime success, yet their stories are often absent from the historical narrative. Their labor fueled the wealth and influence of figures like the Prince of Orange-Nassau, raising questions about the distribution of power and privilege. This drawing provides a glimpse into a complex interplay of political ambition, economic prosperity, and the labor that sustained it all. Van de Velde’s rendering of this yacht thus reflects both the grandeur of the Dutch Golden Age and the submerged histories of those who made it possible.