A Storm at Sea

Ricci, Marco (attrib) 1676 - 1730

Summary

A raging tempest causes the sea to heave and seethe with gigantic foamy waves. A huge body of water swells from the lower left with unnatural force, crashing against a dangerous coast of jagged rocks. The sea threatens to overwhelm the tiny figures in their open boat and even the viewer. A ship has already been wrecked on the rocks to the left, a third has almost sunk in the middle of the picture, and another large vessel is foundering right in front of us. Miniscule figures are attempting to tether its topmast from the safety of nearby rocks, in order to save lives and salvage what they can. There are small signs of human habitation amid this apocalyptic landscape, on the hilltops to left and right. Shafts of sunlight pierce the tumultuous sky. Seascapes such as this were a speciality of the Venetian painter Antonio Marini. His early work shows the influence of Salvator Rosa (1615-1673), but his style was transformed by two other important sources, Alessandro Magnasco (1667-1749) and Marco Ricci (1676-1730). It was in particular the latter's fantasy seascapes (with which Marini's work has often been confused) that provided a model for Marini's melodramatic coast scenes.