A Dutch Bezan Yacht and many other Vessels in a Crowded Harbour beside a Tavern RMG BHC0862

A Dutch Bezan Yacht and many other Vessels in a Crowded Harbour beside a Tavern
Van de Velde has included a wide variety of craft in this work. On the left, in the foreground, is a bezan yacht lying alongside the shore in port-quarter view. She has a common Dutch ensign and a small vane at her masthead. A small boat is lying at her stern. The yacht is elaborately decorated with open carved work down to the top of the transom and a small shield on the tafferel. This shield is painted with putti riding on sea animals and blowing bubbles. There are two gentlemen on board and five soldiers close to the yacht talking to them. On the extreme left, in the foreground, are two kneeling men playing cards on a drum with three men watching. Beyond them is a large tent serving as a tavern with men and women drinking at a table outside. In the right foreground is the after part of a pont (a vessel used for transporting carts, horses, etc.), with a round-roofed cabin amidships. This appears to have a family living aboard. Just beyond it, In the left middle-distance, there is a States yacht coming to anchor, in port-bow view, flying flags at the masthead and peak. This may be the Prince's or States yacht that was built for Prince Frederick Hendrik in 1647 and completed, after his death, for Willem II. She bears the arms of Orange with lion supporters. There are several groups of porpoises swimming, in the foreground, to the right. The main focus is on the large tent serving as a tavern and the bezan yacht moored alongside.
The prominence of the yacht suggests that the pen-painting was commissioned by the owner of the richly decorated vessel in the left foreground. The picture has, also, been connected with the journey of Charles II to The Hague in 1660 on the way to his restoration to the throne of England. However this theory cannot be substantiated. This pen-painting, which van de Velde made around 1660, may illustrate a military event such as an embarkation. This is suggested by the presence of soldiers in the foreground. It has much in common with the ‘parade’ pictures which other artists, including van de Velde the Younger, were painting at the same time. Although these would not normally include the shore and figures in the foreground. Unlike these paintings of shipping in a calm sea, here, van de Velde is primarily concerned with detail. Light, shade and reflections in the calm water are used to create a sense of moist atmosphere and filtered sunlight. Like the ‘parade’ paintings, this work depicts crafts of varying status arranged across the picture. Van de Velde the Younger included the Royal Yacht in a number of his pictures such as ‘A Dutch Flagship coming to Anchor with a States Yacht before a Light Air‘(BHC0910) and it is very likely that both artists worked from the same drawing.
Born in Leiden, van de Velde moved to Amsterdam with his two sons Adriaen and Willem, who were also painters. The former and younger painted landscapes but with Willem, the older son, he formed a working partnership specializing in marine subjects which lasted to his own death. Willem the elder was primarily a draughtsman who spent his career drawing ships and is believed to be one of the earliest artists to accompany fleets into action to record these events. He did this officially with the Dutch fleet from 1653. The resultant works, known as grisaille drawings or more accurately as pen-paintings ('penschilderingen'), were done in pen and ink on prepared lead-white panels or canvases. This technique enabled van de Velde's work to be full of detail and show his knowledge of shipping. He originally applied a cross-hatching technique to show darkness and shadow but from the 1650s increasingly used a brush to indicate shadow, clouds or waves. Van de Velde was the leading Dutch master in marine grisailles but, also, produced a handful of oils towards the end of his life. He visited England briefly on two occasions, in 1661 and 1662. However, by 1673, he had moved there permanently with Willem the younger. Both worked for Charles II and his brother James, Duke of York, and they became the founders of the English school of marine painting. A great deal is known about him thanks to a list of his depictions of naval battles compiled in January 1678 by Captain Christopher Gunman. The picture is signed 'W.V.Velde', lower left.

A Dutch Bezan Yacht and many other Vessels in a Crowded Harbour beside a Tavern