Van de Cappelle was one of the leading marine painters of 17th-century Holland. He was born in Amsterdam, the son of a wealthy dyer. His output consists mainly of estuary, river and calm water scenes; he also produced about forty winter landscapes. He is said to have been self-taught, and was influenced by the work of Simon de Vlieger who spent his last years at Weesp, near Amsterdam.
In 1653 van de Cappelle acquired Amsterdam citizenship and he bought a house there in 1661. From 1663 he may have devoted his energies largely to commerce. Van de Cappelle amassed a large art collection, including sixteen paintings by Jan Porcellis, a pioneering seascape painter of the early 17th century, and nine by de Vlieger, as well as many of his drawings; Rembrandt and Avercamp were also represented in his Collection by large numbers of drawings.
Jan van de Cappelle
1626 - 1679
Paintings by Jan van de Cappelle
(Showing 6 of 9 works)
A quiet sea under a vast sky. In spite of the calm, there’s a light wind. Grey clouds billow, with enough breaks to cast a luminous light on the water. Two slender poles in midstream mark the safe course up the river at low water, their reflections long because of the angle of the sun. The sails...
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This Dutch river mouth is a busy place. Vessels of all kinds are moored close to us, and others move across the water further out to sea. Jan van de Cappelle has broken up the vast sky with moving clouds that cast deep shadows in the foreground and with geometric – almost abstract – shapes made b...
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The boats crowded together on either side of Jan van de Cappelle’s painting are tough, working craft, made to carry goods and people along the coastline and the many waterways of Holland. Although the vessels are not glamorous in themselves, van de Cappelle has exaggerated the height of the masts...
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Although the many craft in this picture are humble inshore vessels, Jan van de Cappelle’s vision turns their sweeping curves and luminous reflections into a majestic panorama. The sky takes up almost two thirds of the picture, but the soft, grey, formless clouds do nothing to detract from the for...
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Jan van de Cappelle’s sea is flat calm and luminous – even the few boats that appear to be moving hardly disturb the still reflections. But there’s a sense of drama in the picture, unusual for the artist. Clouds threaten, and a fitful sun breaks through. The barge in the foreground on the right i...
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From the mouth of a harbour or estuary, Jan van de Cappelle subtly leads our eye out to sea. A couple of fishermen are working with nets in the shallow waters of the foreground while the ship in the centre, flying the red and white flags of the city of Dordrecht, sets out.It is a wijdschip (a typ...
Not on display
In this scene of day-to-day life on the muddy shores of the North Sea, Jan van de Cappelle has depicted a virtually windless day. We see a smalschip (a traditional transport vessel), its helmsman doing his best to catch what wind he can by setting the sails out on both sides. But they hang almost...
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In the grey early light of morning, on a glassy sea, the boats in van de Cappelle’s painting hardly seem to move. There’s no wind, the sails are hardly filled, nothing disturbs the water. Even the clouds seem buoyed up in the air like balloons bouncing along gently in the vast sky.Close to us, an...
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The sense of activity on the boats and the jetty give a greater sense of movement than in many of Jan van de Cappelle’s paintings. But, as is usual, the sea is flat and calm, giving subtle reflections of the vessels, the clouds and two porpoises swimming calmly on the left.The pilings by the jett...
Not on display
You've viewed 6 of 9 paintings