Jan van de Cappelle, 'A River Scene with Dutch Vessels Becalmed', about 1650

Although the many craft in this picture are small, unimpressive, 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 forest of sails painted in browns, ochre and sudden touches of white that the sun catches and turns pale gold.

Van de Cappelle has left many of the vessels in shadow. Two barges are featured – one, still in shadow, is on the left close to us, and carries the Dutch ensign. The other, in better light and almost in the centre of the picture, carries a different flag, probably that of Hoorn, a city in the province of North Holland. A barrel buoy floats undisturbed between them. Despite putting their backs into the rowing, the two oarsmen on either barge seem to make little progress, with no wind or current to help. Not even the smallest wake follows the two vessels.

Both barges carry a large group of people. On the nearer barge, two lawyers are engaged in conversation; both are dressed in characteristic short black cloaks, and one wears a curly white wig. Close to them are elegant aristocrats. On the other barge, a seaman stands very erect holding a boat hook, any hope of arriving any time soon at their destination seemingly unfulfilled.

To the right and closer to us still is a pont, a small flat-bottomed vessel for transporting goods. It carries a load of turf or peat, and a drooping blue and white flag that suggests that it’s from Texel, also in North Holland. The strange contraption beneath the flag appears to be a makeshift rudder, possibly tacked together by the men whose washing hangs out on a boom over the water. Behind the punt is a barge carrying a gigantic bale of hay that fills almost its whole length.

Although one of the leading seventeenth-century Dutch marine painters, van de Cappelle was also a successful merchant. From the start of his career, his painting was always restricted to his leisure time. After 1653, he concentrated mainly on his business, almost giving up painting altogether. He was a keen collector of marine paintings and owned nine pictures by Simon de Vlieger, who had been an early influence on his work. In addition, he owned five portfolios with over 500 drawings by Rembrandt.