De Haven van Amsterdam. Le Port d' Amsterdam

Mathias de Sallieth was a Prague-born engraver active in the Netherlands, where he produced topographical views, portraits, historical prints, and book illustrations. This view was engraved by de Sallieth after a drawing by Dirk de Jong and first published in Amsterdam by Pieter Yver, Johannes Smit & Zoon, and Frederik Willem Greebe between 1780 and 1787. This later state was used in Cornelis van der Aa’s Atlas van de zeehavens der Bataafsche Republiek, published by Evert Maaskamp in Amsterdam in 1805. This impression is numbered “5” at upper right, indicating its use within a numbered series or atlas context.

The print presents Amsterdam from the water, with a large ship at centre, smaller sailing craft, working boats, rafts, and harbour labour in the foreground. The bilingual Dutch and French title identifies the subject for both local and international audiences. Rather than showing Amsterdam through a street plan or survey, the image presents the city as a maritime place, defined by shipping, port labour, quays, and the movement of goods and people.

The view belongs to a long tradition of Amsterdam harbour imagery, but here the emphasis is on the everyday working port. The large vessel, small craft, and figures on the water give the print a practical maritime character, while the distant skyline anchors the scene in the city’s commercial waterfront.