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Lot Essay
Towards the end of the 19th Century, the villages of Scheveningen, Zandvoort, Katwijk and Egmond flourished due to upcoming tourism: the wealthy had discovered the pleasant beaches for recreational purposes. However, the Dutch coast also attracted many artists from all over Europe and even the United States. Depicting the life of fishermen became a popular theme during the 1870's. At the international exhibitions of Berlin and Munich many successful artists represented this genre: apart from the paintings by Mesdag and Jozef Israels (1824-1911), works by the renowned artists Bernardus Blommers (1845-1914) and Philipe Sadée (1837-1904) were also shown.
Mesdag ultimately found his preferred subject at Norderney, where he embarked on a series of studies of the sea. Because he considered himself a realistic seascape painter, he wanted to settle near the sea in order to be able to observe the hard working fishermen day in day out. He moved to The Hague, where he purchased a house on the Anna Pawlownastraat, but also acquired a room at the Villa Elba, and later at Hotel Rauch, conveniently located along the beach Scheveningen. He later declared that this had been essential for his further artistic development
Mesdag painted the North Sea illuminated by bright morning sunlight or in heavy weather, at different hours of the day in varying circumstances, interested primarily in the effect of light on water and the sky. In these compositions he often places 'bomschuiten': fishing vessels leaving the coast, landing, unloading on the beach and sometimes surrounded by a large group of fishermen. Mesdag first gained international recognition at the Parisian Salon in 1870 where he won a golden medal for his monumental Les Brisants de la Mer du Nord, which was rediscovered in 1990.
In the present lot the artist depicted numerous boats near the coast. The fishermen and anchor lines in the water indicate that the coast is near by. As there was no harbour in Scheveningen until 1894, the sailing vessels were forced to land directly on the sandy beaches at high tide. At low-tide the 'bomschuiten' cast their anchors and waited for high tide to come. The exact landing place was indicated by a man with a blue flag whilst at night a torch was lit. As soon as the boat hit the soil, the youngest sailor (the so-called 'swimmer') jumped into the water wearing an oilskin jacket and carried the anchor to the beach. The present lot also shows a second crewmember, presumably carrying the anchor line. Now and then, a horseman would be used instead of a 'swimmer': he would first transport the anchor to the beach, and then go back to pick up the steersman. Sometimes one of the strong swimmers took the steersman to shore on his back. As it was important to immediately report the day's catch to the owner of the ship, the steersman was required to reach the coastline first.
Mesdag ultimately found his preferred subject at Norderney, where he embarked on a series of studies of the sea. Because he considered himself a realistic seascape painter, he wanted to settle near the sea in order to be able to observe the hard working fishermen day in day out. He moved to The Hague, where he purchased a house on the Anna Pawlownastraat, but also acquired a room at the Villa Elba, and later at Hotel Rauch, conveniently located along the beach Scheveningen. He later declared that this had been essential for his further artistic development
Mesdag painted the North Sea illuminated by bright morning sunlight or in heavy weather, at different hours of the day in varying circumstances, interested primarily in the effect of light on water and the sky. In these compositions he often places 'bomschuiten': fishing vessels leaving the coast, landing, unloading on the beach and sometimes surrounded by a large group of fishermen. Mesdag first gained international recognition at the Parisian Salon in 1870 where he won a golden medal for his monumental Les Brisants de la Mer du Nord, which was rediscovered in 1990.
In the present lot the artist depicted numerous boats near the coast. The fishermen and anchor lines in the water indicate that the coast is near by. As there was no harbour in Scheveningen until 1894, the sailing vessels were forced to land directly on the sandy beaches at high tide. At low-tide the 'bomschuiten' cast their anchors and waited for high tide to come. The exact landing place was indicated by a man with a blue flag whilst at night a torch was lit. As soon as the boat hit the soil, the youngest sailor (the so-called 'swimmer') jumped into the water wearing an oilskin jacket and carried the anchor to the beach. The present lot also shows a second crewmember, presumably carrying the anchor line. Now and then, a horseman would be used instead of a 'swimmer': he would first transport the anchor to the beach, and then go back to pick up the steersman. Sometimes one of the strong swimmers took the steersman to shore on his back. As it was important to immediately report the day's catch to the owner of the ship, the steersman was required to reach the coastline first.