A capriccio of a Mediterranean harbour with the Arch of Constantine and a Dutch man o'war and other shipping

Abraham Storck belonged to a family of painters in Amsterdam, including his father, Jan Jansz. Sturch, who later changed his name to Sturckenburch, and two brothers, Johannes and Jacobus (for an example of whose work, see lot 134). Of the four, only paintings by Jacobus and Abraham are known to survive. Trained by his father, Abraham was greatly influenced by Ludolf Bakhuizen in the pictorial treatment of sky and water, but he also absorbed influences from other well-known Amsterdam marine painters, notably Willem van de Velde II and Jan Abrahamsz. Beerstraten (the Beerstraten and Storck families were close friends and distantly related by marriage).