A Dutch Fleet Under Sail at Sea in a Light Breeze

Willem van de Velde I Dutch

Not on view

Willem van de Velde was one of the first marine artists to sail with the Dutch fleet and rely not on written or oral observation for his paintings of naval engagements but on the sketches he drew from life. He could match any shipbuilder in his knowledge of ships, their rigging and habits. This drawing may have been sketched on the spot while the artist was sailing with the Dutch fleet before the Battle of Lowestoft (Second Anglo-Dutch War) in June 1665. The washes would have been added later in the studio.

A Dutch Fleet Under Sail at Sea in a Light Breeze, Willem van de Velde I (Dutch, Leiden 1611–1693 London), Pencil and gray wash on two sheets of paper joined 11.5 cm. from the left.

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A Dutch Fleet Under Sail at Sea in a Light Breeze, Willem van de Velde I (Dutch, Leiden 1611–1693 London), Pencil and gray wash on two sheets of paper joined 11.5 cm. from the left.
A Dutch Fleet Under Sail at Sea in a Light Breeze, Willem van de Velde I (Dutch, Leiden 1611–1693 London), Pencil and gray wash on two sheets of paper joined 11.5 cm. from the left.

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