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 131 cm x width 229 cm x thickness 10.5 cm, height 108 cm x width 205 cm
  • Physical characteristicsolieverf op doek