An Amsterdam States Yacht at anchor near the shore, with other boats in choppy waters

Formerly in the collections of the Dukes of Bedford, this evocative seascape by Willem van de Velde II has been dated by Robinson (op. cit.) to circa 1655, when van de Velde was in his early twenties and working in his father’s Amsterdam studio. His output in this period was influenced both by Simon de Vlieger (1600/01-1653), under whom he is thought to have trained in the years around 1648⁄49, and Jan van de Cappelle (1626-1679), who was probably also active in de Vlieger’s studio in Weesp at the same time. Van de Velde began to specialise in inshore calms shortly after leaving the de Vlieger workshop and continued to produce these into the early 1660s. The present work is distinguished from his output at the time by its frothy, somewhat darker waves, evoking a stronger breeze. The clouds at the top edge of the sky also deepen to a darker grey, perhaps indicating the approach of inclement weather.
His supreme talents as a marine painter are already apparent in this early work, for instance in the masterful depiction of water and the precise draughtsmanship of the vessels and figures. No other version of this composition is known, but it is typical of van de Velde's early arrangements in the way that the vessels are grouped on both sides, leaving a distant view in the middle of the composition and with a large portion of the canvas given over to the sky. A carefully-arranged line of yachts and ships, both under sail and at anchor, recedes into the distance at right, led by a States Yacht flying the Dutch flag as ensign. Beyond its slightly choppy waters, this painting is additionally notable for the inclusion of the dune landscape at left, with two figures approaching the waterline and one further figure in the distance, faintly silhouetted against the sandy dunes. The large States Yacht is thus counterbalanced by the two smaller vessels closer to the shore, a departing ship’s boat crowded with passengers and a boeier at anchor.