Julius Porcellis (Rotterdam 1610 – 1645 Leiden) attributable
Seascape with vessels
Oil on wooden panel (oak)
52 x 84 cm. – In a gilded wooden frame 77 x 108 cm.
Complete details of the painting (click HERE)
The painting on display depicts a striking seascape in a storm: the agitated sea crashes against a rocky cliff while several boats, including a small fishing vessel near the shore and a merchant ship offshore, try to continue their course despite the weather conditions.
A typical subject of Baroque painting, the impetuosity of the sea was a very popular theme, especially in 17th-century Dutch art, capable of representing the power of nature in a dynamic, exciting, and dramatic way.
The resistance of the ships against the waves, where we can imagine the crew engaged in maintaining control, was intended as a metaphor for life, indicating a close but vulnerable interrelationship with the forces of nature, often in contrast with human fragility.
The work presents a pictorial style and compositional choice that, in our opinion, clearly refer to the hand of Julius Porcellis (Rotterdam 1610 – Leiden 1645), a painter of the Dutch Golden Age specializing in seascapes, and the son of Jan Porcellis (1584–1632), from whom he trained and under whose influence he remained throughout his life.
Even during the 17th and 18th centuries, painting connoisseurs found it difficult to distinguish between the work of the father and that of the son.
As can be seen in numerous seascapes by him, Porcellis depicted the stormy sea crashing against a high rock formation. The three-masted ship in the distance, known as a pinnace, with its sails lowered to protect them from the stormy winds, is also a signature characteristic of his.
Our work can be compared, for example, to the painting 'Fishing boat in rough seas', housed at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich (1). It can also be compared to the 'Expedition in rough seas' from the Kingston Lacy Estate in Dorset (2), or to a work housed at the Lakenhal Museum in Leiden (3). Paintings by Julius Porcellis are relatively rare, especially on the antique market; we can mention the work 'Ships in distress off a rocky coast' which was sold at Christie's on 8.12.2023 (4).
(1) https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-12209
(2) https://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/1257056
(3) https://www.lakenhal.nl/nl/collectie/b-1134
(4) https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-6458331?utm_source=mutualart&utm_medium=referral
Our seascape is typical of the master, with its classic compositional imprint that made him highly appreciated at home and abroad, promoting a new style and subject in marine painting by focusing on cloudy skies and agitated waters.
Porcellis's contribution to Dutch art also lies in his emphasis on the effects of light: the composition is indeed enveloped in a strong luminosity, with a sky full of clouds from which bursts of light emanate, reflecting on the water and illuminating the foaming waves, thus highlighting the three-dimensionality of the painting.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
The painting is sold complete with a pleasant frame and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and a descriptive iconographic sheet.
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