Willem van de Velde the Younger
Le Calme Maritime Engraving

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Le Calme
Willem van de Velde the Younger (1633-1707) (after)
Thomas Major (1714 or 1720-1799) (engraver)
Le Calme
London: Late 18th Century
Hand-colored engraving
12 x 15 inches
Sold, please inquire as to the availability of similar items.

Ships in a calm sea, a favorite theme of the renowned maritime artist Willem van de Velde the Younger, who with his father introduced the Dutch tradition of marine painting to England, greatly influencing the English school of marine art. The peaceful scene takes place on a sunlit day with brilliant white clouds in the sky.

French inscription under the title: "Gravé d'apres le Tableau original de Vandervelde de 15 pouces de large sur 12 pouces de haut. A Londres chez l'Auteur Graveur de S.A.R. le Prince de Galles à la Tête d'or dans West Street." (Engraved after the original painting by Vandervelde of 15 inches in width and 12 inches in height in London at the home of author-engraver of S.A.R. the Prince de Galles at the Golden Head in West Street.)

Willem van de Velde the Younger was one of the best-known and most influential Dutch marine painters. He worked closely with his father, also named Willem (c. 1611-1693), and studied with Simon de Vlieger. Father and son worked in Amsterdam from around 1636, where for a time van de Velde the Elder was the official artist of the Dutch fleet when the Netherlands was a major maritime power. The van de Veldes moved to England in the winter of 1672-1673, where they set up a busy and successful studio producing primarily seascapes for Dutch and English patrons. One of van de Velde the Younger's preferred subjects was ships in calm water. They also produced commissioned works of maritime battle scenes for Charles II. Their royal commissions included both tapestry designs and paintings. The van de Veldes brought the Dutch genre of seascape painting to England and are considered the founders of the English school of marine painting. Many of their paintings are in museum collections in England, including the Wallace Collection and the National Maritime Museum. A memorial to them was erected by the Society for Nautical Research in 1929.

Thomas Major was an English engraver who was trained in London, the Netherlands and Paris, where he studied at the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture. He returned to London to sell pictures he'd bought in Paris, and in 1749 he began to publish line-engravings, mostly of 17th-century paintings. In 1753 he became engraver to Frederick, Prince of Wales, and engraved several of the pictures in his collection. He issued collections of prints after old and contemporary paintings, engraved maps, and produced architectural plates, notably the Ruins of Palmyra, Balbec and Paestum. He also imported and sold prints. Major was appointed Chief Engraver of Seals to the King from 1756 to 1760, and resumed the post in 1768, which he retained until his death. In 1770 he became the first Associate Engraver of the Royal Academy, a title offered as a gesture to engravers since they were not permitted to be full Academicians. Major led a successful career and died a wealthy man.

References:

"Biography of Willem van de Velde the Younger." National Maritime Museum. http://www.nmm.ac.uk/mag/pages/mnuInDepth/Biography.cfm?biog=137 (23 January 2004).

Kren, Emil and Marx, Daniel. "Van de Velde." Web Gallery of Art. http://www.kfki.hu/~arthp/bio/v/velde/willem/biograph.html (23 January 2004).

"Thomas Major." The Grove Dictionary of Art. New York: Macmillan. 2000. Artnet.com. http://www.artnet.com/library/05/0533/T053314.asp (23 January 2004).

"Willem van de Velde the Younger." The Wallace Collection. http://www.wallacecollection.org/c/w_a/p_w_d/d_f/a/velde_w.htm (23 January 2004).