Artwork
Fishing Boats on calm Water
Fishing Boats on calm Water is an oil painting by the Barbizon school artist Anthonie Waldorp. It dates from 1850 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
By focusing on fishing craft rather than open sea or dramatic weather, the work emphasizes stillness and the routine character of the fishing trade.
Fishing Boats on calm Water depicts fishing vessels and boats on tranquil water, rendered as a landscape painting. The subject belongs to a long tradition of Dutch marine and riverside scenes in which working boats and their crews are observed at rest on still water, a motif associated with quiet maritime labor and the everyday rhythms of Dutch coastal and inland waterways. By focusing on fishing craft rather than open sea or dramatic weather, the work emphasizes stillness and the routine character of the fishing trade.
The painting's inclusion in the collection of Adriaan van der Hoop, a prominent nineteenth-century Amsterdam patron known for assembling Dutch old masters and contemporary landscapes, suggests the work was valued as part of this continuing tradition of topographically attentive Dutch waterway imagery.
Technique & Style
The work is executed in oil paint on a wooden panel, a medium typical of mid-19th-century Dutch landscape painting. The surface bears the handling marks of its panel support and shows a calm compositional balance with muted tonal gradations. The depiction of fishing vessels emphasizes quiet maritime activity, rendered with precise yet restrained brushwork that conveys atmospheric stillness.
History & Provenance
The painting Fishing Boats on calm Water by Anthonie Waldorp was created in 1850. Executed in oil on panel, the work measures 48.5 cm in height and 60 cm in width. It depicts fishing vessels on calm water within the landscape genre.
The artwork was originally owned by Adriaan van der Hoop, whose collection formed a foundational part of the holdings later associated with the city of Amsterdam. Today, the painting is held in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, continuing its place within the historic Adriaan van der Hoop collection.
Overview
Anthonie Waldorp’s oil painting Fishing Boats on Calm Water, executed circa 1850, presents a serene harbor scene where several modest vessels rest upon a placid surface. The composition captures a moment of stillness, with the sky rendered in a soft, hazy tone that reinforces the tranquil atmosphere.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Anthonie Waldorp, or Antoine de Saaijer Waldorp (The Hague, 28 March 1803 – Amsterdam, 12 October 1866) was a Dutch painter and a forerunner of the Hague School.
