Stranded Whale on the Beach between Zantvoort and Wyk op Zee, 20 February 1762

Washed up atop the shore among throngs of excited spectators lies a (presumably dead) whale. Represented as a dark, fleshy, and featureless mound, the whale appears to blend in with the ground, as if an extension of the landscape. Men, women, children, and dogs horde around the whale, prodding and gawking at it.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, whaling was a common practice among the Dutch, who would hunt the animals to sell their meat and blubber. An explicit representation of the relationship between the natural world and the economy, Cornelis van Noorde’s etching is more than just a compelling scene; it offers a narrative framework through which we can begin to understand the complex exchange between land, labor, community, and consumption.