Artwork
Fishing Boats in a Calm
Fishing Boats in a Calm is an oil painting by Willem van de Velde the Younger. It dates from 1658 and is held in the collection of the Scottish National Gallery.
About this work
Overview
Willem van de Velde the Younger, a Dutch marine painter active in the mid‑17th century, completed the oil work *Fishing Boats in a Calm* in 1658. The canvas records a tranquil harbor scene populated by a variety of vessels—a longboat, a sail‑driven craft, and a larger warship—set against a smooth, lightly clouded sky.
Subject & Meaning
The composition gathers several types of watercraft in a single, placid setting, suggesting a moment of ordinary labor rather than dramatic conflict. Figures are shown either rowing or standing on deck, their leisurely posture reinforcing the sense of a day without urgency, while the juxtaposition of modest fishing boats with a man‑of‑war hints at the coexistence of commerce and naval power.
Technique & Style
Van de Velde employs a restrained palette, allowing muted blues and grays to dominate the water and sky. Highlights of sunlight catch the striped sails and the reflective surface of the sea, creating a subtle sheen. Small accents of bright yellow and blue on flags draw the eye, while the smooth brushwork conveys the calmness of the scene without overt detail.
History & Provenance
*Fishing Boats in a Calm* entered the collection of the Scottish National Gallery, where it remains part of the museum’s holdings of Dutch Golden Age paintings.
Born into a family of marine artists—his father Willem van de Velde the Elder was a noted seascape painter and his brother Adriaen pursued landscape work—van de Velde the Younger continued the tradition of detailed nautical representation. *Fishing Boats in a Calm* entered the collection of the Scottish National Gallery, where it remains part of the museum’s holdings of Dutch Golden Age paintings.
Artist & collection
Artist
Willem van de Velde the Younger
Willem van de Velde the Younger (18 December 1633 (baptised) – 6 April 1707) was a Dutch painter who specialised in marine art.
English Warship Firing a Salute
Entrance to a Dutch Port
Ships in a calm
A Ship on the High Seas Caught by a Squall, Known as ‘The Gust’
Encounter during the Battle of Kijkduin
The skirmish of Michiel Adriaensz de Ruyter against the duke of York, commanding the 'Royal Prince'during the Battle of Solebay, 7 June 1672: episode from the Third Anglo-Dutch War (1672-74)
Captured English Ships after the Four Days’ Battle
Ships off the coast
