Dutch whaling in the Arctic had started in the early 17th century, driven by the economic aims of the Noordsche Compagnie, or North Company, part of the Dutch fleet. Dutch whalers were sailing up the coast of Greenland and of Norway where they found themselves competing with the British. Dutch whaling reached its peak between 1680 and 1725. It is, therefore, not surprising that the pictorial adapt...

An evocation of a Dutch 17th-century whaling expedition. A large fleet of whaling ships is shown in a bay with a rocky coastline on the right. In the foreground on the left a whale has been harpooned and is shown blowing a spout of water. A ships boat, full of men standing up with harpoons in their hands, approaches the whale. The size of the whale is evident since it is more than twice that of th...