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Notes
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In this painting a fishing boat filled with people is travelling towards a cluster of large rocks. The danger of this shoreline is demonstrated by the small ship sinking in the centre right. In the foreground another ship has succumbed to this peril recently: detritus floats in the sea and survivors are gripping onto its masts which are still visible above the water. On the right, in the foreground, several survivors have reached the safety of land. Behind them rocks rise up acting as a reminder of the treacherous coast which threatens the vessels in the painting. To the right, on the coastline, a tower stands out as a symbol of security, in contrast to the ship below. Throughout his career Bellevois expressed an interest in the subject of shipwrecks, often reworking the image of ships in high winds charging towards steep, ominous cliffs.
The image of a vessel hurtling towards a menacing, rocky shore became popular in the seventeenth century but had its origins in sixteenth-century literature. Depictions of shipwrecks became allegorical images which referenced a Christian message. In pictures where figures cling desperately to the ship and its sinking masts for survival, it is clear that the real protagonist is the wind: invisible, elusive and only comprehended through its devastating effects. The potency of the wind may be read as a metaphor for the wrath of God. In his poem 'The Day’s Work', Constantijn Huygens reiterated the idea that God’s divine control over the elements meant that He alone had the power to grant salvation: ‘Sweet God, purify this season, Drive off weather of disgrace…’ The presence of the small fortified tower on the platform protruding from the rocks suggests that salvation is a possible outcome.
Title
A Fishing Boat off a Rocky Coast in a Storm with a Wreck
Date
c.1664–1665
Medium
oil on panel
Measurements
H 82.5 x W 121.9 cm
Accession number
BHC0837
Work type
Painting
