Ships in a Storm on a Rocky Coast

Jan Porcellis was to seascape artists what Esaias van de Velde was to landscape painters – a herald of change. Whereas earlier generations had concentrated on depicting large bodies of water and listing ships Porcelli painted enormous, troubled skies towering above well night helpless ship crews tossed to and fro by angry waves.
This is an outstanding example of Porcellis´ work and exceptionally well preserved. It can be dated to between 1614 and 1618. Such a conclusion is favoured by the sideways elognation of the composition, the dark foreground and the detailed depiction of the different ships. The painting is signed I P on the anchor to the right.