Description: ID))): This stained-glass panel depicts two naval warships sailing on the waves. In the center, the closer ship flies Dutch flags, which ripple in the wind as its sails stretch taut. The stern is entirely covered in gold, and displays a coat of arms. Both sides of the hull are equipped with cannons, and one on the starboard side has just fired and is still smoking. The further ship is smaller, and also flying Dutch colors. It appears similar to the first ship, but the stern is less ornately decorated and there are fewer sails. Above is a scroll with yellow tassels that reads 1665. The entire scene is framed in yellow, with two transparent holes in the top corners. Underneath is a Dutch inscription on an elaborate gray panel, meant to portray an engraving on stone. Four faces, including two cherubs, adorn the panel, along with other decorative elements. (Tomasz Andrzej Grzybowski)
Inscription: on banderol at top: Anno 1665 (year 1665) on cartouche below: De Heer Joan van Gent Hoog / Heemraet van de Beemʃter en secre / taris Ao 1665 (The Gentleman John van Gent, High Water Board Member of Beemster’s Secretariat, the year 1665)
Label Text: The Dutch warship on this panel displays the coat of arms of the city of Amsterdam. Just like the donor of the panel 2018.206, the person who commissioned this panel served on Beemster water board. Because a large part of the Netherlands lies below sea level, flood prevention and lack of farmland have been a major challenge, leading Dutch engineers to develop advanced techniques to drain bodies of water to create more land. Such pieces of land are called polders. For centuries, they have been governed by water boards, whose members work on protecting them from flood and erosion, while also controlling water quality and provision of potable water. The first Dutch polder on land reclaimed from a lake, Beemster is on the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites as “a creative masterpiece created by humans.”
Maria Timina, 2025
Tags: seas; boats; text; weapons; patterns; symmetry; decoration and ornament; design; vessels; wars Link to share this object record: https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=AC+2018.207 |