Ludolf Bakhuizen, Dutch Men-of-war off Enkhuizen

Towering storm clouds threaten vessels fighting choppy waves on the Zuiderzee – once an inlet of the North Sea in the north coast of the Netherlands. The man-of-war (battleship) sailing away from us on the right flies the Dutch flag and has the arms of Amsterdam on its stern, as does the smaller boat, a boyer yacht, pitching forward on the wash from the vessels ahead, brown sail taut. The two coats of arms proclaim them as official craft of the city.

Here, Bakhuizen’s skill in suggesting the depth, strength and turbulence of the tide is at its highest. He catches the white tops of the waves in a watery ray of sunlight, leaving the foreground almost in darkness. In spite of this bright patch, his waters are chill and dangerous.

In the distance, the gale is so strong that several boats keel over, their white sails straining. To their right, almost hidden in the mist and spray, are the sea walls of the port of Enkhuizen, recognisable by the slender tower of the Zuiderkerk (South Church) – a beacon to travellers by sea. Enkhuizen was an important fishing port but also one of the main ports of the VOC, the East India Company, the powerful Dutch maritime organisation that traded with Africa and Asia and helped bring the Netherlands its wealth.

The Dutch spent a great deal of the late seventeenth century at war with the French, the Chinese and anyone who threatened their trade with both East and West Indies. Whether the men-of-war in the picture are going into or returning after a battle isn‘t clear. Sails, normally torn to shreds in a fight, here appear to be unscathed, although the ship on the right has lost part of the main, or central, mast. The sea is rough but the waves aren’t enormous, so the loss of the mast wouldn‘t appear to be the fault of the weather. Not so for the small fishing boat in the centre, pitching and tossing on the waves. Its mast has gone, and the boat is in tow, with the lone fisherman doing his best to steer, his hair flying in the wind.

In spite of the presence of the men-of-war with their flags and bellying sails, Bakhuizen’s main feature is the wijdschip (’wide ship'), a much less glamorous vessel in use on the Zuiderzee. It carries passengers and a sailor, legs stretched out nonchalantly, half-hidden by a sail. The sea was the usual mode of transport for the Dutch so they were used to its many moods, but someone does seem to be quite literally having a picnic. An old woman eats her soup only a few feet above the water, the waves splashing the boat but leaving her seemingly unconcerned with anything but her meal.