Melinda Piesse

This embroidered work by Melbourne textile artist Melinda Piesse illustrates the tragic story of the wreck of VOC flagship Batavia on its maiden voyage to the East Indies in 1629. Batavia was carrying more than 300 people along with a valuable cargo of jewels, art treasures, cloth, wine, cheese and silver coin for trading. Batavia never made her destination. Before dawn on 4 June 1629, Batavia was fatefully wrecked off the coast of Western Australia. The ensuing tale of mutiny, mayhem and massacre remains one of the darkest chapters in Australia’s maritime history.

Following the wreck, Batavia’s Commandeur Francisco Pelsaert set sail in search of water in the ship’s longboat. Overloaded with passengers and provisions, he ultimately reached Java and organised a rescue ship. Meanwhile a mutinous crew, led by under-merchant Jeronimus Cornelisz had seized control of the settlement on Beacon Island and begun to massacre the marooned survivors.

Following the brief, Melinda Piesse’s personal vision in her Batavia Tapestry embroidery is historically accurate based on countless hours of research and drawing, including archaeological journals.

The Batavia shipwreck is an extraordinary tale of marooned Europeans, murder and intrigue, of treachery, despair, mutiny, murder, courage and conviction, escape, revenge and ultimately heroism