Lot 20
Simon de Vlieger(Rotterdam 1601-1653 Weesp)A Man o' War in a calm sea, near a shore
3 December 2025, 14:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street£30,000 - £50,000
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Simon de Vlieger (Rotterdam 1601-1653 Weesp)
A Man o' War in a calm sea, near a shore
monogrammed 'S DE V' (lower right)
oil on panel
26.4 x 36.3cm (10 3/8 x 14 5/16in).
monogrammed 'S DE V' (lower right)
oil on panel
26.4 x 36.3cm (10 3/8 x 14 5/16in).
Footnotes
Provenance
Private Collection, Netherlands
with Douwes Fine Art Gallery, Amsterdam, 2013, where acquired by
Mr and Mrs Anthony Inder Rieden
Collection of a Family Trust
Literature
G. de Beer, The Golden Age of Dutch Marine Paintings. The Inder Rieden Collection, Leiden, 2019, vol. 2, pp.518-529, cat. no.29, ill
De Beer has pointed out that the present lot most likely depicts a roadstead off Texel, a small island off the North of the Netherlands. It is the same location as often used by the Van de Veldes and Backhuysen, but in contrast to their theatrical scenes of naval prowess, de Vlieger's focus is instead, as de Beer puts it, 'the purely contemplative experience of atmospheric nature'. Painted probably towards the end of de Vlieger's period in Amsterdam (1638-1648) around 1647-48, the work is characterised by the strong influence of artists such as Jan Porcellis and Hendrick Avercamp on de Vlieger's work at this time through its calm seas, open skies and, particularly, the use of the figures in the foreground directing attention to the reflective intent of the picture.
The unusual use of the monogram also points to a date towards the end of the 1640s. De Vlieger rarely used this form of signature, and other known examples have all been dated to circa 1648-1650 (see the Städel Museum, Frankfurt, inv. no. 537, and the Rijksmuseum, inv. no. RP-T-1888-A-1537 and inv. no. RP-T-1888-A-1536).