Fishing boats in a choppy sea

Hendrik Martensz Sorgh 1609/1611 - 1670

Summary

A country with few natural resources of its own except the sea, Holland relied on all sorts of fishing to feed its population. From whalers and herring boats in the North Sea to small coastal vessels, fish was the staple diet of the population at a time when famine in Europe was often a problem. In this dramatic seascape by Hendrick Sorgh, small fishing boats keel in a stiff breeze on a choppy sea. The coast is crowded and there is drama in the foreground, with one boat on course to shave across the bows of another. Sunlight breaks through the heavy cloud, falling directly on the action. Sorgh was described in his own time as a painter of ‘ships and waterscapes', yet not many of his seascapes survive. Today he is better known for his scenes of everyday life. This painting most likely records an estuary off the coast of Rotterdam. Fine details are included, such as the crews at work and Sorgh's own signature on a piece of driftwood. Sorgh was active in Rotterdam, where he worked not only as an artist, but also as a bargeman in his father's local shipping business, through which he gained detailed knowledge of the fish markets. His father, Maerten Claesz. Rochusse (or Rokes), obtained the soubriquet ‘de Sorch' (Dutch: ‘careful') after the way in which he handled cargo; his son Hendrick had adopted the name by 1633, when it appears on his marriage certificate, and he began signing his paintings that way after 1640.

Display Label

Fishing Boats in a Choppy Sea  1666

Hendrick Sorgh  about 1610-1670

Oil on panel

Sorgh was the son of a skipper who ran a ferry service between Rotterdam and Dordrecht. In his own time, Sorgh was described as a painter of ‘ships and waterscapes’, yet not many of his seascapes survive. Today he is better known for his scenes of everyday life, examples of which are shown elsewhere in this exhibition.

This painting most likely records an estuary off the coast of Rotterdam, with small boats transporting people and goods. Sorgh includes fine details, such as a passenger in the cabin, and his own signature on a piece of driftwood.

Assheton Bennett bequest  1979.502