Artwork
Rough sea with a Dutch yacht under sail
Rough sea with a Dutch yacht under sail is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Ludolf Bakhuizen. It dates from 1698 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
A Dutch three-mast vessel fires a salute in the background while the faint outline of a port city appears near the center.
The painting portrays a turbulent sea with a richly decorated Dutch yacht sailing under its flag on the right and a fishing sloop on the left, its first two crew members hauling in a net. A Dutch three-mast vessel fires a salute in the background while the faint outline of a port city appears near the center. The work is signed 'L. Bakhuizen' on the yacht's flag and dated '1694' on a piece of driftwood.
The subject reflects maritime dominance and everyday seafaring life in late 17th-century Netherlands, emphasizing both commercial prestige and the perils of the sea. The inclusion of a salute and recognizable port hints at national identity and trade ambitions.
The painting entered the Rijksmuseum collection through the bequest of Leendert Dupper, who inherited the work from his uncle Johannes Rombouts in 1850 and expanded the collection before donating it in 1870.
Technique & Style
The work is executed in oil paint on canvas, a standard support for Bakhuizen's marine compositions of this period. The painting is relatively small in scale, measuring 37 cm in height by 46 cm in width. Its handling is evident in the depiction of a turbulent sea, a richly decorated Dutch yacht flying the Staten flag, a fishing sloop with lowered mast, and the distant silhouette of a three-master firing a salute, with the faint outline of a harbour town on the horizon.
The composition is signed 'L. Bakhuizen' on the yacht's flag at the lower right and dated '1694' on a piece of driftwood in the same area, confirming both attribution and date directly on the support.
Stylistically, the work belongs to the marine genre for which Bakhuizen is known, emphasizing dynamic wave movement and atmospheric distance. The provenance notes that the painting passed through the collection of Martinus Schouman in Dordrecht and later Leendert Dupper before entering the Rijksmuseum, and no specific condition issues are documented in the available sources.
History & Provenance
Rough sea with a Dutch yacht under sail is an oil painting by Ludolf Bakhuizen created in 1694. It entered the collection of Martinus Schouman in Dordrecht after his 1812 purchase from D. Weiland in Rotterdam. By 1850 the work belonged to Johannes Rombouts, who bequeathed it to his nephew Leendert Dupper. Dupper subsequently expanded the collection and bequeathed it to the Rijksmuseum in 1870.
The painting is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Its provenance traces back to the artist Martinus Schouman in Dordrecht, who purchased the work in 1812 from D. Weiland in Rotterdam. By approximately 1850, the piece belonged to Johannes Rombouts, also of Dordrecht, who subsequently bequeathed his art collection to his nephew, Leendert Dupper. Upon Dupper's death in 1870, the painting was transferred to the Rijksmuseum through a legacy.
No specific exhibition history or inventory accession number is provided in the available sources.
Context
Rough sea with a Dutch yacht under sail (1694) by Ludolf Bakhuizen exemplifies the dynamic marine genre characteristic of 17th-century Dutch painting, combining dramatic seascape with precise ship detail.
The work depicts a tempestuous sea contrasting a richly decorated Dutch yacht flying the state flag with a fishing sloop engaged in net retrieval, alongside distant harbor outlines and a saluting Dutch frigate.
Attribution is confirmed by the artist's signature 'L. Bakhuizen' and a dated timber fragment ('1694') on the vessel's flag, while provenance traces from Martinus Schouman's 1812 acquisition through Johannes Rombouts to Leendert Dupper's 1870 bequest to the Rijksmuseum.
Scholarly context situates this painting within Bakhuizen's marine oeuvre at the Rijksmuseum, reflecting contemporary Dutch maritime prowess and the genre's emphasis on nautical realism.
Legacy
The painting's legacy stems from its dynamic portrayal of maritime power and technical mastery within Dutch Golden Age marine art. Its depiction of a Dutch yacht under full sail amidst turbulent waters influenced later interpretations of naval subjects by artists emphasizing both realism and national pride. The work's provenance through private collections before its 1870 donation to the Rijksmuseum cemented its status as a cornerstone of the museum's marine art holdings, reflecting evolving attitudes toward cultural preservation.
Overview
Ludolf Bakhuizen’s 1698 oil painting captures a storm‑tossed sea in which a Dutch sailing yacht struggles against towering waves. The composition places the yacht toward the right, its canvas billowing, while a smaller boat in the foreground is rocked violently, its occupants clinging to the rigging. The work exemplifies the artist’s lifelong preoccupation with maritime subjects during the Dutch Golden Age.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Ludolf Bakhuizen (28 December 1630 or 1632 – 7 November 1708) was a German-born Dutch painter, draughtsman, calligrapher and printmaker.
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