William van der Gouwen facts for kids
William van der Gouwen (born around 1640, died in or after 1720) was a Dutch artist. He was known for making pictures using a special technique called engraving. One of his most famous artworks is called A beached whale between Scheveningen and Katwijk.
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William van der Gouwen: A Dutch Engraver
William van der Gouwen lived a long time ago, in the 1600s and early 1700s. He was from the Netherlands. He worked as an engraver. This means he created images by carving designs into metal plates. These plates were then used to print pictures onto paper.
What is an Engraver?
An engraver is like a special artist who uses tools to make art. They use sharp tools to cut lines into a metal surface, often copper. These lines hold ink. When paper is pressed onto the inked plate, the image transfers to the paper. This process allows many copies of the same picture to be made. Engraving was a very important way to share art and information before photography.
His Famous Whale Artwork
One of William van der Gouwen's well-known pieces is about a whale. It shows a large whale that got stuck on the beach. This event happened between two places in the Netherlands, Scheveningen and Katwijk. Artists often drew exciting or unusual events. A stranded whale would have been a very big deal at the time.
The Story of the Stranded Whale
The whale in the artwork was a very large one. It was about 21.3 meters (70 feet) long. It got stranded on the Dutch coast on February 3, 1598. This happened before William van der Gouwen was born. So, he likely made his engraving based on earlier drawings or descriptions of the event. Another artist named Jacob Matham also made an engraving of this same whale. This shows how important and memorable the event was.
Images for kids
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This engraving by Jacob Matham also shows the 70-foot whale that was stranded in 1598.
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Cardinal Agustín de Spínola Basadone.
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Bona Sforza, who was a Queen of Poland.
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