Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an unspecified painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Jochem de Vries. It dates from 1772 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. Joghem de Vries’s 1772 canvas records a Dutch whaling vessel named the Zaandam navigating the icy waters of the Davis Strait.
About this work
This painting was made in 1772 by a local artist from Zaandam, a Dutch town that sent many whaling ships north.
You see a wooden whaling ship, the *Zaandam*, cutting through dark Arctic waves under a stormy sky.
This painting was made in 1772 by a local artist from Zaandam, a Dutch town that sent many whaling ships north. The ship’s owner, Claas Taan and Sons, ran one of the biggest whaling companies at the time. Whale oil lit lamps across Europe—this picture shows where it came from.
If you like ships and sea stories, explore more at the Rijksmuseum.
Overview
Joghem de Vries’s 1772 canvas records a Dutch whaling vessel named the Zaandam navigating the icy waters of the Davis Strait. The composition places the ship amid turbulent sea and sky, with a dramatic moment of a whale being harpooned in the foreground. The work captures both the harsh Arctic environment and the commercial activity of 18th‑century Dutch whaling.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts the Zaandam, owned by the Zaan firm Claas Taan and Sons, as part of a fleet of thirty‑eight Dutch ships that wintered in the whaling grounds between Greenland and North America. By showing the harpooned whale and the crew’s labor, the image underscores the economic reliance on whale oil, a vital source of illumination for Europe at the time.
Technique & Style
De Vries employs a muted palette of grays and blues to convey the bleak Arctic atmosphere, while the ship’s rigging and the figures are rendered with precise, almost documentary detail. The contrast between the storm‑clouded sky and the illuminated hull draws the eye to the central action, reflecting the artist’s blend of topographic accuracy and narrative drama.
History & Provenance
Created in the artist’s native town of Zaandam, the work was likely intended for the ship’s owners or local patrons connected to the whaling trade. The Zaandam returned from the 1772 season with 240 barrels of blubber harvested from five whales, while the entire Dutch fleet accounted for 240 whales that year. The painting remains a visual record of that commercial venture.
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