Sea view

The Golden Age was a period of unprecedented wealth for the – then – Republic of the Netherlands. Owing to the nation’s increasing political and military power, trade, science and art flourished. The Netherlands’ fleet ruled the seas. Obviously this Dutch supremacy is reflected in the art of that time, for example in this painting. Note the three Dutch flags flying from the large ship on the right!
The artist who made it, Wigerius Vitringa, was a pupil of Ludolf Bakhuijsen’s, the renowned painter of nautical scenes. Being the talented pupil he was, Vitringa’s work was in no way inferior to that of his master, hence he proudly painted his name in the lowermost flag.