VOC East Indiaman ’t Slot ter Hooge before Vlissingen

Engel Hoogerheyden was a Dutch marine artist from Zeeland, active in Middelburg and Vlissingen in the later eighteenth century. He specialised in shipping scenes, naval subjects, and views of vessels in the waters of Zeeland, a region closely connected with Dutch maritime trade and the Dutch East India Company.

This unsigned drawing in ink and grey wash shows the VOC East Indiaman ’t Slot ter Hooge and other vessels off the coast of Vlissingen. The ship was built in 1776 for the Middelburg Chamber of the VOC and was named after Slot Ter Hooge, a manor near Middelburg. The drawing has been associated with Engel Hoogerheyden and appears to be a preparatory or related study for a painting now in the Zeeuws Maritime Museum in Vlissingen. The scene presents the East Indiaman under sail in coastal waters, with smaller vessels nearby and the shoreline of Vlissingen in the background. Unlike printed sea charts, this drawing is not primarily navigational. It records a maritime image of the VOC as a working commercial and naval presence, placing a large ocean-going East Indiaman within the local waters of Zeeland.

The subject connects local Dutch maritime identity with global trade. Vlissingen and Middelburg were important ports in Zeeland, and the Middelburg Chamber was one of the regional chambers of the VOC. By showing ’t Slot ter Hooge near Vlissingen, the drawing links the local harbour world of Zeeland with the long-distance routes of the Dutch East Indies trade. 1. Engraving at Zeeuws Archief: Click here

2. Painting at Vlissingen Museum: Click here