The Dutch Whaling Fleet
Abraham Storck (Dutch, 1644–1710)
c. 1695
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Materials & printing
Archival matte paper, 189 g/m² (10.3 mil), sourced from Japan, printed with multicolor water-based inkjet so every brushstroke stays crisp. Framed prints arrive ready to hang in a .75″ ayous-wood frame with an acrylite front.
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About this work
This marine painting casts the drama of the Arctic whaling industry against pink skies. In the frigid waters, sailors harpoon bowhead whales and harvest their blubber to render it into products like lamp oil and soap. On the icy shore, a group of hunters close in on two polar bears. In the Dutch imagination, polar bears were vicious creatures that exemplified the region’s dangers. Their defeat here alludes to the Dutch Republic’s dominance over the rugged ecosystem, as well as the whaling industry, of which it had a majority share throughout the 17th century.
- Artist
- Abraham Storck (Dutch, 1644–1710)
- Date
- c. 1695
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Origin
- Holland
- Style
- 17th Century
- Collection
- Painting and Sculpture of Europe
- Reference
- 2019.1423 · Art Institute of Chicago