Vessels in a Calm

Although Willem Van de Velde was apprenticed to Simon de Vlieger, the most accomplished of the early seventeenth century Dutch marine painters, his father was also an important influence. After his Apprenticeship, they began a collaboration that lasted until the father’s death in 1693. A series of trade wars made it difficult for them to make a living in Holland. They went to England where they established themselves as masters of the maritime subject matter that was as dear to the English as it was to the Dutch. Van de Velde’s first painting in England is from 1672. He died in 1701 after a long and successful career. Most of the seascapes in England during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries show his influence.

It was not uncommon for the artist to paint Dutch scenes in his first years in England, a possible indication of his nostalgia for his homeland. Of the sixteen Van de Veldes in the National Gallery in London, most contain Dutch ships. “After his first few years in England his pictures are longer seascapes as much as specific representations of vessels and naval events, and many of the later are somewhat mannered” (Maclaren 1960, 421.) This could be explained by the increasing royal demand that father and son act as chroniclers of the English fleet.

The high quality of “Vessels in a Calm” also argues for a date early in Van de Velde’s English career. Here, Van de Velde solves the problem of spatial continuity, which for the most part, eluded Simon de Vlieger. There is no jumping over the middle ground; additionally, the spacing and grouping of the boats suggest a wide and uninterrupted expanse of sea.

The work is exceptional for having a well-documented provenance. In 1780, Horace Walpole wrote, “But the best chosen collection of these masters (the Van de Veldes) is in a chamber of Mr. Skinner’s… assembled at great prices by the late Mr. Walker.” Walker died in 1748 and his pictures passed to his heir, Stephan Skinner. Skinner’s eldest daughter married William Harvey of Rolls Park, Essex and the Harvey family came into possession of the pictures. Admiral Sir Eliab Harvey commanded the “Temeraire” in the Battle of Trafalgar and appropriately owned at least a dozen Van de Veldes. When he died, these works were divided among his six daughters. John Smith, art dealer and cataloguer, described our painting as belonging to a Miss Harvey in 1835 (Vol. VI p. 388 #238).

The word “Drummond” on the back of the frame indicates that the picture had passed into a new family with the marriage of the Admiral’s daughter, Georgiana Augusta, to Mr. John Drummond of Redenham. A son of the famous banking family, he was unfortunately also a gambler. It is tempting to think that his profligacy forced the sale of this picture so that it entered the inventories of the dealers and auction houses that have brought it here to the USC Fisher Museum of Art.

Excerpted from "Masterworks from the 16th & 17th Centuries" catalog. Entry by Nancy Weston. (Los Angeles: USC Fisher Museum of Art, 1987), 28.

Bibliography:
Maclaren, Neil. “National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School.” London: National Gallery of Art, 1960.