The three cargo ships in this large painting are the type of wide-bellied, seagoing vessels used to transport much of the commodities that generated the wealth of the Dutch in the seventeenth century. Flying the red, white, and blue flag of the Dutch Republic, these floating symbols of national prosperity are nevertheless in peril of crashing on the rocky shore. Each ship has already lost a mast, and flotsam bobbing in the steely gray water in the foreground reveals that at least one ship has been wrecked. All is not yet lost, as the sun’s golden rays break through the ominous clouds—a signal to the struggling sailors that the storm is about to abate. The subject serves as a reminder that our earthly existence is fleeting. Although realistic in appearance, the painting combines elements that Backhuysen repeated often in his theatrical compositions. The complex shapes, sharp contrasts of light and shadow, ragged rocks, and violent waves all heighten the drama. The palpable tension of the scene belies the fact that this painting is the first known representation of a full-blown tempest in Backhuysen’s oeuvre.
A native of Germany, Backhuysen was trained by his father to be a scribe. In 1649 he moved to Amsterdam, where his beautiful calligraphy landed him a job as a clerk for one of the city’s most prominent merchants. His excellent draftsmanship led him to get trained as a painter, and success followed quickly. Backhuysen had a particular fascination with the effect of weather on the surface of the sea, which he depicted with great skill. He became Holland’s leading seascape artist during the last quarter of the seventeenth century, producing marine paintings for royal and noble patrons throughout Europe.