Leggen van de kiel en het oprichten van het steven - Pieter van den Berge

A detailed seventeenth-century etching by Pieter van den Berge depicting the early stages of Dutch shipbuilding, including the laying of the keel.

This etching by Pieter van den Berge, titled 'Leggen van de kiel en het oprichten van het steven' (Laying the keel and erecting the stem), offers a technical view into the shipbuilding practices of the late seventeenth-century Netherlands. The composition documents the initial stages of vessel construction, focusing on the structural framework of the hull. In the foreground, workers are engaged in the manual labour required to position the keel and stem, providing a clear view of the timber construction methods used in Dutch shipyards of the period.

The scene is set within a busy maritime environment, with other vessels visible in the background, including a ship moored nearby and a distant windmill on the shoreline. The artist employs precise, controlled line work to delineate the rigging, the curvature of the hulls, and the architectural elements of the shipyard. The inclusion of Latin and Dutch text at the base of the print, 'Navigiorum Aedificatio', identifies this work as part of a larger series documenting maritime industry and trade.

Van den Berge, an engraver active in Amsterdam, produced this work for the publisher Isack Greve. The print reflects the period's interest in documenting industrial processes and the technical aspects of the Dutch maritime economy. The use of cross-hatching and varied line weights creates a sense of depth and texture, particularly in the rendering of the wooden structures and the atmospheric clouds above. This print provides a factual record of historical shipbuilding, avoiding decorative embellishment in favour of clarity and technical accuracy. It is a valuable piece for those interested in the history of naval architecture and the visual culture of the Dutch Golden Age.