In this Book
- Nicolaes Witsen and Shipbuilding in the Dutch Golden Age
- Book
- 2012
- Published by: Texas A&M University Press
- Series: Ed Rachal Foundation Nautical Archaeology Series
summary
In 1671, Dutch diplomat and scientist Nicolaes Witsen published a book that served, among other things, as an encyclopedia for the “shell-first” method of ship construction. In the centuries since, Witsen’s rather convoluted text has also become a valuable source for insights into historical shipbuilding methods and philosophies during the “Golden Age” of Dutch maritime trade. However, as André Wegener Sleeswyk’s foreword notes, Witsen’s work is difficult to access not only for its seventeenth-century Dutch language but also for the vagaries of its author’s presentation.
Fortunately for scholars and students of nautical archaeology and shipbuilding, this important but chaotic work has now been reorganized and elucidated by A. J. Hoving and translated into English by Alan Lemmers. In Nicolaes Witsen and Shipbuilding in the Dutch Golden Age, Hoving, master model builder for the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, sorts out the steps in Witsen’s method for building a seventeenth-century pinas by following them and building a model of the vessel. Experimenting with techniques and materials, conducting research in other publications of the time, and rewriting as needed to clarify and correct some vital omissions in the sequence, Hoving makes Witsen’s work easier to use and understand.
Nicolaes Witsen and Shipbuilding in the Dutch Golden Age is an indispensable guide to Witsen’s work and the world of his topic: the almost forgotten basics of a craftsmanship that has been credited with the flourishing of the Dutch Republic in the seventeenth century.
Table of Contents
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- Title Page
- p. iii
- Acknowledgements
- pp. xiii-xvi
- Chapter 1: Introduction
- pp. 1-33
- Chapter 3: Contracts as Historical Sources
- pp. 203-231
- Chapter 4: Conclusion
- pp. 233-235
- Appendix: Variations on Witsen
- pp. 237-249
- Bibliography
- pp. 307-309
Additional Information
ISBN
9781603444040
Related ISBN(s)
9781603442862
MARC Record
OCLC
821737715
Pages
310
Launched on MUSE
2012-10-01
Language
English
Open Access
No