Drawing finds from the Rooswijk wreck – just a small part in a major project. Expertly guided by Historic England illustrator Judith Dobie (MCIfA) for the Big Rooswijk Draw at Fort Cumberland, Portsmouth.

Finds drawing or drawing archaeological artefacts is about clarity; recording only the true form plus original decoration or features still evident. No patina or expressive mark making! It also communicates an object’s three dimensional nature. This can be a simpler but more informative alternative form of visual communication than text or a series of photographs.

Rooswijk was a Dutch East India Company ship lost in 1740; in the depths of the Goodwin Sands, off Kent. The ship was heading for Batavia (now Jakarta) with trade-goods. It is a protected wreck site excavated in 2017 and 2018.The wreck and finds are owned by the Dutch Government and managed by Historic England on behalf of the Department of Digital, Culture Media and Sport.

https://historicengland.org.uk/whats-new/research/rooswijk-shipwreck-excavation-the-post-excavation-phase
https://english.cultureelerfgoed.nl/topics/maritime-heritage/rooswijk1740
https://mass.cultureelerfgoed.nl/rooswijk

July 2023