Disaster and Discord: Romeyn de Hooghe and the Dutch State of Ruination in 1675

Abstract

In 1675 the prolific etcher and engraver Romeyn de Hooghe designed, produced, and published a print depicting several disasters that had scourged the Republic of the Seven United Provinces from 1672 onwards. The print offers interesting insights in contemporary concerns that accumulated during All Saints Flood in 1675. In recent historical studies, the print has been used to illustrate contemporary belief in divine providence, and faith of the Dutch that history would take a turn for the better. But the iconography of the print is detailed and complex, and many of its vital elements have been ignored or were misinterpreted. Careful examination from an art historical perspective reveals that the print does not illustrate faith in a good outcome. On the contrary, De Hooghe accuses his fellow countrymen of a lack of faith using the New Testament story of a storm on the Sea of Galilee as a biblical parallel. Secondly, De Hooghe identifies discord as the cause of the current sad state of the Dutch Republic. He even implies that those responsible are the wealthy citizens in the prosperous Province of Holland who have neglected to take care of the republic’s poorer members.

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