Willem van de Velde, 'Dutch Ships and Small Vessels Offshore in a Breeze', about 1660
About the work
Overview
High, scudding clouds and a restless sea bring a feeling of freshness to Willem van de Velde’s painting. Two lowered white sails seem to tumble towards the water, and echo the froth on the tops of the waves. The breeze is almost palpable, with spars, masts and vessels all leaning at different angles, adding to the energy of the scene.
The sand dunes of the distant shore are thought to be the island of Texel; the boat on the left certainly appears to be flying the city’s blue and white flag, although a discoloured layer of varnish makes it difficult to be sure of the colours. The warship on the extreme right fires a gun in a salute for an important visitor.
Van de Velde painted this picture for his family studio in Amsterdam. Hendrick Dubbels, whose work is also in the National Gallery’s collection, was an assistant there and may have painted the water in the foreground.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Dutch Ships and Small Vessels Offshore in a Breeze
- Artist
- Willem van de Velde
- Artist dates
- 1633 - 1707
- Date made
- about 1660
- Medium and support
- oil on wood
- Dimensions
- 41.5 × 58.6 cm
- Inscription summary
- Signed
- Acquisition credit
- Bought, 1871
- Inventory number
- NG872
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
- Previous owners
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Neil MacLaren, revised and expanded by Christopher Brown, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School: 1600–1900’, London 1991; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Bibliography
-
1830
J. Smith, A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch, Flemish, and French Painters: In Which is Included a Short Biographical Notice of the Artists, with a Copious Description of Their Principal Pictures […], vol. 2, London 1830
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1844A.M. Jameson, Companion to the Most Celebrated Private Galleries of Art in London: Containing Accurate Catalogues, Arranged Alphabetically, for Immediate Reference, Each Preceded by an Historical & Critical Introduction […], London 1844
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1907C. Hofstede de Groot, Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch Painters of the Seventeenth Century, 10 vols, London 1907
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1960Maclaren, Neil, National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School, 2 vols, London 1960
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1991Maclaren, Neil, revised by Christopher Brown, National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School, 1600-1900, 2nd edn (revised and expanded), 2 vols, London 1991
-
2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.