De picture "Darinck Delven"
notition-in-preparation:
dr. K.A.H.W. Leenders
version June 7, 2005
De engraving "Darinkdelven" was engraved by J.C. Philipz after
a drawing made by Cornelis Pronk in 1745 of an old painting in the Hospital
of Zierikzee (province of Zeeland, The Netherlands). The engraving is,
since its use in the "Vaderlandsche Historie" (Dutch national
history) of Wagenaar in 1751, a standard illustration for publications
about the medieval salt production in and around Zeeland. The youngest
reproduction can be seen in the 1999 book of B. Augustijn about peat digging
in the Land of Beveren (Flanders). The engraving is so popular because
it depicts in many steps the (first part of the) process of peat cutting
and salt making, while the appended text also gives some explanation.
The engraving dates from 1745, that is still a 250 to 300 years after the moment that the shown way of workings got out of use by the import of raw salt and the banning of this kind of landdestruction. So the question arises whether the engraving actually can be used as a faithfull and important source of information about the medieval salt production in Zeeland and surroundings. Therefore we will try to reconstruct the history of the engraving and its predecessors, te locate the shown spot, to date the shown activities and to interprete the shown steps.
This research is now going on. Anticipating the results, I show you the painting that is perhaps the "old painting" mentioned by Pronk in 1745. It is a big 16th century painting on wood and hangs in the room of the lord mayor of Zierikzee. The photos were made in December 1999. They are copyright Foto Noomen, Zierikzee.
