A Dutch Fleet Under Sail at Sea in a Light Breeze

Willem van de Velde I

1665 · Pencil and gray wash on two sheets of paper joined 11.5 cm. from the left. · Robert Lehman Collection

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.

Artist

Willem van de Velde I

Date

1665

Medium

Pencil and gray wash on two sheets of paper joined 11.5 cm. from the left.

Department

Robert Lehman Collection

Credit line

Robert Lehman Collection, 1975