Nautical
Kobell, Hendrik
Print maker
De Walvischvangst
Description
A scene of Dutch whaling in the Arctic. On the ice in the left foreground, a man aims his rifle at two snarling polar bears while other men watch behind him. Behind them is a whale harnessed beside a whaling vessel. Crewmen jump down the broadside on top of the whale. Another dead whale is behind the ship waiting to be processed and seagulls flock to the carcass. In the far left distance, is a half sunken ship, most likely wrecked by the ice. In the middle foreground, the harpooner stands in his whaleboat to stab a floating whale. In the right foreground, people prepare the ship for the arrival of a new carcass.