various depictions of stranded whales 1

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various depictions of stranded whales 1

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e. 1598+ Anonymous after Glotzius. The Stranded Whale On the Beach at Zandvoort.

f. 1598+ Matham Jacob after Glotzius. Baltimore Museum of Art.

g. Jan Saenredam, Stranded Whale near Beverwijk, 19 December, 1601. 1602. Engraving. New Bedford Whaling Museum, Kendall Collection

. . . sense of spectacle, with its great marching throngs of curious spectators, high panoramic viewpoint, and dramatic sky. Saenredam went to great lengths to assure the viewer of the accuracy of his reporting: the Latin inscription at the top provides the date and location of the event, as well as the whale’s measurements, and states that the artist has reproduced the whale’s proportions and parts with geometrical exactitude.

While observers were careful to prod, probe, and measure the helpless creatures, beachings were not merely zoological and arithmetic exercises: they were viewed as significant historical events that did not merely cause concern for the animal’s struggle; many sought and saw deeper meaning, viewing them as “oracular signpost[s]” or portents of impending disaster. (Goldman)

h. Detail. The scene heaves with the industry of Lilliputian townsmen scaling the impromptu mountain with hobnails, hands, and knees. In this close-up you can see two men probe the whale's eye with a sword. http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2010/11/two-whales-400-years-apart

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Files

1598+ after Glotzius.jpg
1598+ Matham Jacob after Glotzius.jpg
1602 saenredam whale detail.png
1602 saenredam whale detail.png

Citation

kk, “various depictions of stranded whales 1,” The Middle Shore, accessed May 15, 2024, https://middleshore.omeka.net/items/show/69.