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Hendrick Dubbels, 'A Dutch Yacht and Other Vessels Becalmed near the Shore', about 1660-70

About the work

Overview

A man sits on a spit of land, his body reaching towards the sea, the line of his gaze drawing our eyes to the boats he watches. Perhaps he longs to be on board; perhaps he looks out for someone about to land. Or perhaps he’s just held by the visual poetry of the vessels themselves, the seemingly endless number of blues in the vast sky or the perfect reflections in the limpid water. On the right, a state yacht waits for the breeze, its sail barely moving, the Dutch colours at its peak drooping and its crew idle.

Life in seventeenth-century Holland was often lived on the water – and there were so many marine artists it seems that if the Dutch weren't on a boat, they were looking at pictures of them. Henrick Dubbels was one of the most successful of these artists.

Key facts

Details

Full title
A Dutch Yacht and Other Vessels Becalmed near the Shore
Artist dates
1621 - 1707
Date made
about 1660-70
Medium and support
oil on canvas
Dimensions
48.3 × 48.1 cm
Acquisition credit
Salting Bequest, 1910
Inventory number
NG2587
Location
Not on display
Collection
Main Collection
Previous owners

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

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