Catalogue entry
WILLEM VAN DE VELDE the Younger, 1633‐1707
871 Dutch Vessels close Inshore at Low Tide, and Men Bathing
, 1991
Extracted from:
Neil MacLaren; revised and expanded by Christopher Brown, The Dutch School 1600–1900 (London: National Gallery Publications Limited, 1991).
Willem van de Velde the Younger, Dutch Vessels close Inshore at Low Tide, and Men Bathing (No. 871) © The National Gallery, London
On the left, a kaag with her sprit‐sail set and foresail lowered; she has a skiff hauled up on deck across her stern. She is lying head‐on to a large wijdschip which has her mainsail and square topsail set. The wijdschip has an orange and white striped flag at the peak and a multi‐striped vane including the same colours at her masthead (these may originally have been intended for red and white, the colours of Hoorn). Close on her starboard quarter is a weyschuit or similar type rigged with a jib‐headed mainsail. In the right middleground is a sprit‐rigged fishing pink with a spoon bow. Several ships in the right background at anchor, one with a flag and pendant at the main.
W. van de Velde (No. 871) © The National Gallery, London
Oil on canvas, 63.2 × 72.2 cm (24⅞ × 28⅜).
Cleaned in 1971.
Discussion
Robinson1 notes that the flag and vane of the wijdschip may identify it as a vessel from Vlieland and Terschelling; if so, the coast is likely to be near Den Helder and the ships would be lying in the Marsdiep.
Robinson2 considers it to be painted in large part by Willem the Younger himself in 1661. Of the four known versions of the composition (see versions) Robinson considers this the best.
A very similar composition with the same date, was in the M. C. D. Borden sale, New York, 13 February 1913 (lot 57);3 another, undated (but according to Robinson painted a few years later) is in the Gemäldegalerie, Cassel.4 In the Cassel painting the figures may well be by Adriaen van de Velde. In No. 871 the figures seem to be by Willem the Younger himself.
VERSIONS: There is what Robinson considers to be a studio version (probably also of 1661) in the Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Vienna.5 A second studio version (perhaps painted some time later) is in the National Gallery of South Australia in Adelaide.6 A third studio version (perhaps painted after 1661) was in Anon, sale, Lucerne (Galerie Fischer), 2 September 1933, No. 469.7
[page 1.451]PROVENANCE: According to Smith a picture of this composition was in the Richard Creed sale, 1813, bought by Norton (140 gns).8 In the collection of the Due de Berry, Paris (died 1820);9 exhibited with the Berry collection for sale by private contract at Christie’s, April–June 1834 (No. 64), and bought by C. J. Nieuwenhuys, who sold it to Sir Robert Peel, Bart.10 Purchased with the Peel collection, 1871.
EXHIBITION: London, NMM , ‘The Art of the Van de Veldes’, 1982 , No. 23.
REFERENCES:
General: Smith Nos. 89(?) and 229; HdG No. 196; Robinson, Paintings, No. 204(1).
In text:
3. HdG No. 312; reproduced in the catalogue of the Hudson‐Fulton Celebration Exhibition, New York, 1909 (No. 134). (Back to text.)
4. HdG No. 187. Robinson, op. cit. , No. 374. (Back to text.)
5. Panel, 61 × 82 cm. Signed: W.V.V. HdG (No. 228) mistakenly calls it a replica or copy of the Borden collection picture (see above). Robinson, op. cit. , No. 204(2). (Back to text.)
6. Canvas, 59.1 × 71.8 cm. Adelaide 1960 cat. Inv. no. O.1862. Robinson, op. cit. , No. 204(3). (Back to text.)
7. Canvas, 60 × 75 cm. Said in the sale catalogue to be signed and dated 1661. This was apparently the painting with Antony Reyre, London, in the early 1930s (then recorded as on canvas, 59.5 × 71 cm.). Robinson, op. cit. , No. 204(4). (Back to text.)
8. See Smith Nos. 229 and 89. No Creed sale is recorded in Lugt. (Back to text.)
9. Nieuwenhuys, p. 264. (Back to text.)
10. Nieuwenhuys, p. 265. (Back to text.)
Glossary
- boeier
- A round type of Dutch vessel with a deep rail similar to a kaag, but with a curved spoon bow; usually sprit‐rigged.
- kaag
- A Dutch vessel like a boeier but with a straight raking stem and clinker‐built.
- smalschip
- A small Dutch transport vessel, sprit‐rigged
- weyschuit
- A small Dutch open boat with a straight raking stern usually rigged with a sprit.
- wijdschip
- A small Dutch transport vessel of the same build as a smalschip but slightly larger.
Abbreviations
3 Other Abbreviations
- NMM
- National Maritime Museum, London
List of references cited
- Davies 1959
- Davies, Martin, National Gallery Catalogues: The British School, revised edn, London 1959
- Davies and Gould 1970
- Davies, Martin, revised by Cecil Gould, National Gallery Catalogues: French School Early 19th Century, Impressionists, Post‐Impressionists, etc., London 1970
- Hofstede de Groot 1907–28
- Hofstede de Groot, C., Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch Painters of the Seventeenth Century, 10 vols (vols 9 and 10 are in German), London, Stuttgart and Paris 1907–28
- Lugt 1938–87
- Lugt, Frits, Répertoire des catalogues de ventes publiques intéressant l’art ou la curiosité … par Frits Lugt (Deuxième Période, 1826–1860 (1953); Troisième Période, 1861–1900 (1964); Quatrième Période, 1901–1925, 1987), 4 vols, The Hague 1938–87
- Nieuwenhuys 1834
- Nieuwenhuys, Christian Jean, A Review of the Lives and Works of some of the most Eminent Painters, London 1834
- Robinson 1990
- Robinson, M.S., The Paintings of the Willem van de Veldes, 1990
- Smith 1829–42
- Smith, John, A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch, Flemish and French Painters … (with Supplement), 9 vols, London 1829–42
List of exhibitions cited
- Adelaide 1960
- London 1982, National Maritime Museum
- London, National Maritime Museum, The Art of the Van de Veldes, 1982
Explanatory Notes on the Catalogue
SEQUENCE The paintings are arranged alphabetically according to the name of the artist or school.
ATTRIBUTION A picture catalogued under the name of the artist is considered to be by him. ‘Attributed to’ qualifies the attribution. ‘Ascribed to’ indicates a greater degree of doubt. ‘Workshop of’ or ‘Follower of’ are self‐explanatory. ‘Style of’ indicates that the painting is an imitation or copy painted after the artist’s lifetime. A list of attributions which have been changed from the first edition of this catalogue (published in 1960) is given on pages 510–13.
INVENTORY NUMBER The National Gallery inventory number is to be found to the left of the picture title.
MEASUREMENTS These are given in centimetres, followed by inches in brackets. Height precedes width.
RIGHT and LEFT These indicate the viewer’s right and left, unless the context clearly implies the contrary.
BIOGRAPHIES MacLaren’s biographical notes on painters have been expanded and brought up to date when there is no accessible and reliable modern literature. Where such literature exists, these notes have been kept to a minimum.
REFERENCES The bibliographical references, though selective, include publications which appeared before mid‐1989. References to books and articles which appeared subsequently and which the author considered to be of importance are referred to within square brackets but could not be taken into account in the catalogue entries themselves.
LISTS AND INDEXES At the back of this volume are lists of paintings acquired since the last edition of this catalogue and changed attributions. There are also indexes to religious subjects, profane subjects, topography, previous owners, years of acquisition and inventory number.
ILLUSTRATIONS The plates of the paintings included in the catalogue are in the second volume, together with all the signatures which could be reproduced. The comparative plates are included in Volume 1.
[page 1.xiv]VAN ‘van’ has been used in lower case throughout in accordance with The Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors. The ‘van’ has been omitted for certain artists as is customary, e.g. ‘Jacob van Ruisdael’, but ‘Ruisdael’.
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES ‘ op. cit. ’ may refer back to books and articles referred to under the artist’s biography (rather than in the particular catalogue entry).
CHRISTIE’S AND SOTHEBY’S Unless another location is mentioned, the sales referred to took place in London.
CLEANING The cleaning of paintings which took place before 1945 is not referred to, unless the circumstances were exceptional.
CONDITION All the paintings have been examined during the preparation of this catalogue. In many cases the condition is described, sometimes in considerable detail. If the condition is not described, the painting can be presumed to be in good condition.
PROVENANCE AND EXHIBITIONS There are separate headings for provenance and exhibitions in individual catalogue
entries. In certain cases, when nineteenth‐century paintings were included in dealers’
exhibitions for example, these two sections have been conflated
,
.
VAN GOGH The National Gallery’s four paintings by Van Gogh (Inv. nos. 3861, 3862, 3863 and 4169) are not catalogued in this volume but in The French School by Cecil Gould.
CORNELIUS JOHNSON The one painting (Inv. no. 6280) in the National Gallery by Johnson, who was born in London of Dutch parents but moved to the Netherlands after the outbreak of the Civil War, is not included in this catalogue but in The British School by Martin Davies.
Explanatory note
This volume contains the illustrations for the catalogue of the Dutch School published in Volume 1.
The pictures and their attributions are discussed in detail in the catalogue; in this volume only the title, the artist (or attribution) and the inventory number are given.
At the end of the volume are plates of all the signatures that could be reproduced. In the interest of clarity some of these have been enlarged.
About this version
Version 2, generated from files NM_CB_1991__16.xml dated 17/02/2025 and database__16.xml dated 16/02/2025 using stylesheet 16_teiToHtml_externalDb.xsl dated 03/01/2025. Entries for NG212, NG221, NG830, NG871, NG990, NG1674, NG1675, NG2531, NG4503, NG6350, NG6442, NG6444 and NG64835 proofread following mark-up and corrected.
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- https://data.ng.ac.uk/0DF1-000B-0000-0000
- Permalink (latest version)
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- Chicago style
- MacLaren, Neil and Christopher Brown. “871 Dutch Vessels close Inshore at Low Tide, and Men Bathing”. 1991, online version 2, February 17, 2025. https://data.ng.ac.uk/0DF1-000B-0000-0000.
- Harvard style
- MacLaren, Neil and Brown, Christopher (1991) 871 Dutch Vessels close Inshore at Low Tide, and Men Bathing. Online version 2, London: National Gallery, 2025. Available at: https://data.ng.ac.uk/0DF1-000B-0000-0000 (Accessed: 29 March 2025).
- MHRA style
- MacLaren, Neil and Christopher Brown, 871 Dutch Vessels close Inshore at Low Tide, and Men Bathing (National Gallery, 1991; online version 2, 2025) <https://data.ng.ac.uk/0DF1-000B-0000-0000> [accessed: 29 March 2025]