A coastal view with fisherfolk

In 1611 Willaerts became one of the founder members of the Utrecht Guild of Saint Luke, serving as Dean during the periods 1620-22, 1624-31 and 1636-7. His earlier work suggests a combination of influences, depicting assemblages of colourfully costumed figures reminiscent of Jan Brueghel, with maritime backdrops closer to Hendrick Cornelisz. Vroom. The majority of his mature work consists of beach scenes with many figures in the foreground and decorative lateral framing devices, such as trees, rocks and castles, often influenced by Saverij, who returned to Utrecht in 1619. Pure seascapes without such additional motifs are rare and mainly confined to the early period. The more open composition, abandoning the framing devices, and the lower viewpoint suggest that this work should be dated towards the middle of the artist's career, close to the Ships off the coast of 1628 (Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum); another comparable work is the Coastal view with fishermen and a boat on the shore in the Rijksmuseum Twenthe, Enschede.