Artwork
Storm at sea
Storm at sea is an unspecified painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Jan Brueghel the Younger. It dates from 1627 and is held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Jan Brueghel the Younger’s Storm at Sea (1627) depicts a violent maritime tempest, with towering waves and fierce winds overwhelming a small wooden vessel.
Jan Brueghel the Younger’s Storm at Sea (1627) depicts a violent maritime tempest, with towering waves and fierce winds overwhelming a small wooden vessel. The composition centers on the struggle between human frailty, embodied by the imperiled boat, and the uncontrollable forces of nature, a theme common in seventeenth-century Dutch and Flemish marine painting.
Symbolically, the work evokes the precariousness of life and the power of divine or natural elements beyond human control. The storm may also serve as a metaphor for turmoil or adversity, reflecting contemporary anxieties about exploration, trade, or spiritual uncertainty. The absence of a safe harbor or calm horizon heightens the sense of vulnerability and chaos.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1627, this oil painting by Jan Brueghel the Younger depicts a turbulent maritime scene featuring a storm, sea, wind waves, and a boat. The work is rendered on a support measuring 38 cm in height and 56 cm in width. The composition focuses on the dynamic interaction between the natural elements and the vessel, characteristic of the artist's approach to landscape and marine subjects during this period. The painting is currently held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum.
History & Provenance
Jan Brueghel the Younger created the painting Storm at sea in 1627. The work depicts a turbulent maritime scene featuring boats, wind waves, and a storm. It is currently held in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, where it remains located.
The panel measures 38 cm in height and 56 cm in width. No further details regarding specific commissions, previous owners, or the chain of custody prior to its museum acquisition are provided in the available records.
The work is held at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, where it is inventoried as Storm at Sea by Jan Brueghel the Younger (1627).
The painting was accessioned into the museum’s holdings as part of its permanent collection and has not been loaned for temporary exhibitions according to available records.
Overview
Jan Brueghel the Younger, a Flemish painter active in the early 17th century, completed the oil work Storm at Sea in 1627. Executed within the family workshop that had been central to the Brueghel artistic lineage, the canvas captures a violent maritime episode. The painting is presently part of the permanent collection of Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jan Brueghel (also Bruegel or Breughel) the Younger ( BROY-gəl, US also BROO-gəl; Dutch:; 13 September 1601 – 1 September 1678) was a Flemish Baroque painter.
