ARTWORKS

A Dutch Vessel in a Strong Breeze

Willem van de Velde II (1633–1707)

The National Gallery, London

A Dutch Vessel in a Strong Breeze

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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An angry tide surges around two small transport boats heading for disaster under a stormy sky. The crew of the kaag, desperate to avoid collision with the fast approaching smalschip, have released the horizontal spar to take the wind out of the mainsail. This way, the vessel will slow and -- with luck -- pass safely behind the smaller craft. A smaller open boat heads towards them, two men pointing at the impending catastrophe.The sideways sweep of the three vessels and their converging diagonal lines strengthen the tension. A weak beam of sunlight illuminates the sail of the kaag; it highlights the drama but, together with the flag still flying at the masthead, perhaps also suggests a ray of hope in a pitiless sea. Such pictures were popular in seventeenth-century Holland because they were exciting, but they were also a reminder of the dangers encountered by the hundreds of mariners who were an important part of the country’s prosperity.

The National Gallery, London

London

Read more on The National Gallery, London
Title

A Dutch Vessel in a Strong Breeze

Date

about 1670

Medium

Oil on canvas

Measurements

H 23.2 x W 33.2 cm

Accession number

NG150

Acquisition method

Bequeathed by Lord Farnborough, 1838

Work type

Painting

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Normally on display at

The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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Artist or maker

Willem van de Velde II

1633–1707

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