The Language of the Sea: Flags and Identities in Early Modern Dutch Marine Painting

This article investigates the convergence between early modern Dutch marine painting and contemporaneous political identities and diplomatic conventions. It uses the depiction of flags on paintings of naval battles as a lens to query perceptions of national and regional identity as well as international hierarchy. It first introduces the phenomenon of flags on marine paintings and shows how these depictions are not random or ornamental but exhibit patterns and motifs. It then builds on this observation to pursue two further arguments. Firstly, it argues that the configuration of flags on paint... Mehr ...