View of Rotterdam

In Dutch homes, tiles typically served utilitarian purposes, such as covering the walls of kitchens, utility rooms, passageways, and fireplace surrounds. This large panel was conceived as a picture to be mounted on a wall. It shows a panoramic view of Rotterdam, Europe’s largest port and still one of the world’s busiest. In this view by Cornelis Boumeister, a Rotterdam artist who specialized in large tile panels, fishing boats and trading vessels surround a large ocean-going galleon in the harbor. Wharves extend from the shore, each ending at a “weigh house” where goods were weighed to determine taxes. The skyline of the city is dominated by the Gothic tower of the cathedral of St. Laurens, one of the few structures that survived extensive bombing of the port during World War II.