Lot 1023 Dα

Cornelis Claesz van Wieringen was a maritime painter in early 17th century Haarlem, which Laurens J. Bol refers to as the “cradle of Dutch maritime painting”. A captain's son, Wieringen at first also went to sea before becoming an artist. He concentrated on painted and drawn maritime scenes and went on to become the most accomplished marine painter of his time. He received numerous commissions from public institutions in Haarlem and Amsterdam, including the monumental painting “The Battle of Gibraltar” (180 x 490 cm, in the Nederlands Historisch Scheepvaartsmuseum since 1928), of the legendary “Taking of Damiette” (Haarlem, Frans-Hals-Museum), the composition of which was used in one of the largest tapestries ever woven in the 17th century (240 x 1075 cm, Haarlem, Rathaus, Vroedschapskamer).
The present work depicts a coastal landscape with a warship at anchor. Its main mast flies the Dutch lion, and it's front mast the striped flag of the Dutch Republic. Characteristic in this work is the sophisticated use of light achieved by partially concealing the sun behind clouds, leading to a glittering contrast of light and shadow in the overcast sky.