Page 18 - Nicolaes Witsen & Shipbuilding in the Dutch Golden Age

Title page of Witsen’s Aeloude en Hedendaegse Scheeps-bouw en Bestier, 1671 by Romeyn de Hooghe. In the style of his day, the engraving shows the importance of the shipbuilding industry as an allegory. Shipbuilding, represented by the female figure, is flanked by Mercury and Mars, gods of trade and war, and surrounded by shipbuilders displaying their creations. Heroic figures in the foreground work with shipbuilding tools, and an active shipyard is visible in the background.