Creative Commons License
Dutch Ships in High Seas off the Dutch Coast
(Baroque Europe )
Backhuysen's seascapes demonstrate the simple, harmonious proportions found in many Dutch depictions of the ocean: water occupies about one quarter of the compositions, while ships silhouetted against an immense cloudy sky occupy the remainder. This recreates the experience of being out on the water; indeed, Backhuysen hired fishermen to take him out in storms to study wind and waves.
This painting is from the 1660s, the artist's best period. His fame was such that in 1697-98, when the Russian tsar Peter the Great visited the Dutch Republic to study European shipbuilding and the arts, Backhuysen was asked to teach him painting.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Gilmor Collection; Henry Walters, Baltimore, prior to 1909 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 1971-1972 | World of Wonder. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| Technical Report | other | |
| 10/30/1951 | Treatment | cleaned; coated; loss compensation |
| 10/30/1951 | Treatment | coated; filled; inpainted; varnish removed or reduced |
| 7/12/1954 | Treatment | coated |
| 6/3/1985 | Treatment | cleaned; coated; loss compensation; other |
| 6/4/1985 | Examination | examined for condition |
| 10/1/1986 | Treatment | re-housed; loss compensation; coated |
Geographies
Netherlands, Amsterdam (Place of Origin)
Measurements
21 x 27 in. (53.4 x 68.6 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, before 1909
Location in Museum
Charles Street: Second Floor: 17th-Century Dutch Cabinet Rooms
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.340