Seascape with yachts moored in a calm

Velde, Willem van de, the Younger (studio of) 1633 - 1707

Summary

In this calm seascape, a kaag, or ketch, is moored in the foreground, lowering its sails. Its mainsail flag and masthead vane are striped blue and white, which may indicate a port in Zeeland. A small rowing boat, with a man setting a net in the stern, pulls towards the kaag. In the background there is a States Yacht, port bow view, with her mainsail hauled up and a ship's barge pulling away from her. More yachts are moored in the background to the left and right, accompanied by rowing boats. According to Robinson (1990, no. 237), this may be a late studio version, painted largely by Van de Velde II's assistants, of a picture that he may have painted c.1665. The most famous of the Dutch seascape painters, Van de Velde II studied first with the great marine painter, Simon de Vlieger. During the 1650s and 1660s, his output was characterised by a series of ‘calms'. When he came to London at the invitation of Charles II in 1672, Willem van de Velde II brought the Dutch seascape tradition to England. In the 1670s, he began painting portraits of particular types of ships, such as men of war. The painting is a typical example of the skill of this painter and his workshop at accurately depicting all kinds of shipping.