Russian philology
the upper-class de Wilde family. Jacob de Wilde, a collector-general with the Admiralty of
Amsterdam, had a well-known collection of art and coins, and de Wilde's daughter Maria de
Wilde made an engraving of the meeting between Peter and her father, providing visual
evidence of "the beginning of the West European classical tradition in Russia". According to
Roger Tavernier, Peter the Great later acquired de Wilde's collection.
Thanks to the mediation of Nicolaes Witsen, mayor of Amsterdam and expert on Russia, the
Tsar was given the opportunity to gain practical experience in the largest shipyard in the
world, belonging to the Dutch East India Company, for a period of four months. The Tsar
helped with the construction of an East Indiaman especially laid down for him: Peter and
Paul. During his stay the Tsar engaged many skilled workers such as builders of locks,
fortresses, shipwrights, and seamen--including Cornelis Cruys, a vice-admiral who became,
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