Sailing Vessels: A Fleet of Galleys Escorted by a Caravel
1563
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1563
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
Sailing Vessels: A Fleet of Galleys Escorted by a Caravel is a 1563 by Pieter Brueghel the Elder, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This drawing shows three ships on choppy water. The biggest ship in the middle is a long galley with rowers and tall sails, while two smaller ships flank it. Waves crash around them, and dark clouds loom above. Notice how the artist packed every rope and plank into the scene—no empty space. The galley’s oars are lined up like rows in a theater, and the sails catch the wind. Look up Renaissance next to see how artists like this one shaped European art.
