Maritiem Digitaal
collectie zoeksyteem van de maritieme musea
A Kaag coming Ashore near a Groyne with Ships and Vessels under Sail beyond
| titel | A Kaag coming Ashore near a Groyne with Ships and Vessels under Sail beyond
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| inventarisnummer | BHC0896
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| collectie | Oil Paintings
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| museum | National Maritime Museum, Greenwich
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| datum | 1654
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| omschrijving | A scene showing a variety of vessels and a foreshore, with Dutch kaags in the centre and a groyne or breakwater visible on the right. Kaags were a type of cargo vessel designed for use on inland waterways, with a straight stem and a sternpost and a wide angle between the keel and the stern. They were often used as ferries or lighters on the Zuider Zee, conveying cargo to and from seagoing ships. The nearest kaag to the shore shows a starboard-bow view with the mainsail and foresail lowered. A man is standing in the water by her mast with his back to the viewer and facing other sailors already in the boat. The figure on the right is leaning over the side of the boat holding a fender. The other figure on board is also attending to the mast. There is another small kaag immediately behind which is shown being poled off the shore with her mainsail and foresail set on the port tack. Beyond these two vessels is a small ship flying the Dutch flag with fore mainsails loosed, firing a salute to port. On the foreshore a man is shown dragging a roller as he approaches the kaag. Another roller and a plank or rudder is shown in the right foreground. Behind the groyne on the right are the sails of a several other ships. The largest ship is shown port-bow view, with her sails loosed, including spritsail and a main topgallant. A large cumulus cloud dominates the composition to the left and there is land visible in the left background.
The painting is suffused with light, catching the tops of the clouds and the sails of the boats and reflection of the nearest kaag in the water. The groyne has been used a device to divide the painting with the kaags on the foreshore to its left and the larger boats in the distance on the right.
The painting is an early, freely executed study painted when the artist was still in Holland. Van de Velde was the younger son of Willem van de Velde the Elder. Born in Leiden, he studied under Simon de Vlieger in Weesp and in 1652 moved back to Amsterdam. He worked in his father's studio and developed the skill of carefully drawing ships in tranquil settings. He changed his subject matter, however, when he came with his father to England in 1672-73, by a greater concentration on royal yachts, men-of-war and storm scenes. From this time painting sea battles for Charles II and his brother (and Lord High Admiral) James, Duke of York, and other patrons, became a priority. Unlike his father's works, however, they were not usually eyewitness accounts. After his father's death in 1693 his continuing role as an official marine painter obliged him to be more frequently present at significant maritime events. The painting is signed and dated 'W. V.Velde 1654' on the pole in the foreground and there is evidence that the canvas has been cut down by an uncertain amount.
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| afmetingen | Painting: 292 x 216 mm; Overall Frame Size 440 x 374 x 55 mm
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