An English Ship and Other Vessels in a Gale, Early 18th Century; After Willem Van De Velde

Oil on canvas in a fine carved and giltwood 18th century frame.

A superb and accurate rendition, contemporary or nearly contemporary, of the original by Willem van de Velde the Younger, which is now in the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich. It is described as being painted in the "mid 17th century to early 18th century", and continues "An English ship shown in a gale, together with other shipping. To the left is a small ship with men in the rigging shown furling the sail. In the right foreground a Dutch fishing craft known as a hoeker is bringing down her sail. In the left middle-distance is a ship with a number of figures on deck and several more in the rigging. In the right background is a ship at anchor. She has a pendant at the main and a flag at the fore. There are several other ships at anchor in the distance all riding out the storm. Although there is some blue sky immediately above the ship, the rest of the sky is filled with dark and heavy storm clouds."

WILLEM VAN DE VELDE the Younger (1633-1707) was a Dutch marine painter. son of Willem van de Velde the Elder, also a painter of sea-pieces, Willem van de Velde, the younger, was instructed by his father, and afterwards by Simon de Vlieger, a marine painter of repute at the time, and had achieved great celebrity by his art before he came to London. By 1673 he had moved to England, where he was engaged by Charles II, at a salary of £100, to aid his father in "taking and making draughts of sea-fights", his part of the work being to reproduce in colour the drawings of the elder Van de Velde. He was also patronized by the Duke of York and by various members of the nobility.

He died on 6 April 1707 in London, England, and was buried at St James's Church, Piccadilly. A memorial to him and his father lies within the church. Most of Van de Velde's finest works represent views off the coast of Holland, with Dutch shipping. His best productions are delicate, spirited and finished in handling, and correct in the drawing of the vessels and their rigging. The numerous figures are tellingly introduced, and the artist is successful in his renderings of sea, whether in calm or storm. The ships are portrayed with almost photographic accuracy, and are the most precise guides available to the appearance of 17th-century ships.

There are a number of van de Velde's marine paintings in the Wallace Collection, London, including "The Embarkation of King Charles II at Scheveningen, 1660".

SIZE: 32 x 41.25 x 2.5 inches including the frame.

PROVENANCE: Collection of a Lady, Dulwich.