The Whale-oil Refinery near the Village of Smerenburg

Cornelis de Man, 1639

Smerenburg on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen was a settlement of Dutch whalers. As the painter never went there, he combined familiar images and stories in this work. The mountain at the left is probably on Jan Mayen Island. Strips of whale blubber are boiled and rendered into train (whale) oil in the numerous try-pots on the beach. The men’s barracks are visible in the right background.

  • Artwork typepainting
  • Object numberSK-A-2355
  • Dimensionsheight 108 cm x width 205 cm, height 131 cm x width 229 cm x thickness 10.5 cm
  • Physical characteristicsoil on canvas

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manner of Cornelis de Man, 1650 - 1710

Pair Making Music

Interior of the Oude Kerk in Delft from the Choir toward the Portal

attributed to Cornelis de Man, 1660 - 1690

Interior of the Oude Kerk in Delft from the Choir toward the Portal

Reyer Reyersz van der Burch (1630-1695), Ammunition Officer attached to the Arsenal of the States-General, Delft, with his Wife Geertruid Graswinckel and their Children Frank, Cornelis, Reyer, Maria and Alida

attributed to Cornelis de Man, 1670 - 1680

Reyer Reyersz van der Burch (1630-1695), Ammunition Officer attached to the Arsenal of the States-General, Delft, with his Wife Geertruid Graswinckel and their Children Frank, Cornelis, Reyer, Maria and Alida

Portretten van Joannes Baptista van Helmont en Franciscus Mercurius van Helmont met acht wapens

Cornelis de Man, 1648

Portretten van Joannes Baptista van Helmont en Franciscus Mercurius van Helmont met acht wapens

Portret van Jacobus Crucius

Cornelis de Man (mentioned on object), 1655

Portret van Jacobus Crucius

Portretten van Joannes Baptista van Helmont en Franciscus Mercurius van Helmont met acht wapens

Cornelis de Man, 1648

Portretten van Joannes Baptista van Helmont en Franciscus Mercurius van Helmont met acht wapens

Identification

  • Title(s)

    • The Whale-oil Refinery near the Village of Smerenburg
    • A Whale-Oil Factory of the Nordic or Greenland Company on Amsterdam Island at the north end of Spitzbergen (Svalbard)

  • Object type

  • Object number

    SK-A-2355

  • Description

    Smeerenburg op Spitsbergen was een nederzetting van Nederlandse walvisvaarders. De schilder is er nooit geweest en combineerde afbeeldingen en verhalen ervan die hij kende. De berg links is vermoedelijk die van Jan Mayen-eiland (Beerenberg), waarnaast de masten van walvisvaarders te zien zijn. In de traankookovens dicht op het strand worden aan moten gehakte stukken walvisspek gekookt en tot vloeibare traan verwerkt. Links op het strand ligt een walviskadaver dat geflenst wordt. Rechtsachter staan de barakken van de mannen.

  • Inscriptions / marks

    signature and date: ‘CDMAN 1639’

Creation

  • Creation

    painter: Cornelis de Man

  • Dating

    1639

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Material and technique

  • Physical description

    oil on canvas

  • Dimensions

    • height 108 cm x width 205 cm
    • height 131 cm x width 229 cm x thickness 10.5 cm

This work is about

  • Person

  • Subject

  • Place

Acquisition and rights

  • Credit line

    Purchased with the support of the Vereniging Rembrandt

  • Acquisition

    purchase 1908-03

  • Copyright

    Public domain

Documentation

  • Peter J.H. Reijnders, 'Van walvisjager naar walvisbeschermer', Scheepshistorie (2011) nr. 12, p. 86-91, afb.

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