A recently discovered seascape by Dutch Golden Age master Willem van de Velde the Younger has sold for £52,070 after intense international bidding, achieving six times its pre-sale estimate following centuries hidden in an English family collection.
The maritime painting “Men-o-war becalmed offshore and drying their sails, with seafaring folk working on the beach” attracted fierce competition at Woolley & Wallis auctioneers on Wednesday, with one bidder flying from Europe specifically for the lot and five telephone lines simultaneously active during the auction. The work ultimately sold to a UK private collector against a pre-sale estimate of £8,000.
The oil on canvas painting (31.8 x 51.5 cm) had remained hidden from public view for more than 300 years until its recent discovery in the UK. Art historians had long suspected the work’s existence since 1990, when maritime art expert Michael S. Robinson raised the possibility during his research into van de Velde’s catalogue.
Robinson, who served as Keeper of Pictures at the National Maritime Museum in London and was considered a world authority on the van de Velde family’s work, identified a smaller Dutch painting in a private Netherlands collection as possibly being part of a larger composition. The unusual upright format led Robinson to conclude in his catalogue that “the possibility must exist that the galliot is cut from the larger picture.”
Ed Beer, Paintings specialist at Woolley & Wallis, commented on the result: “This highlights the meticulous research carried out by our team to verify this previously unrecorded work by Willem van de Velde the younger, one of the foremost painters of the Dutch Golden Age. We are thrilled by the international interest it attracted, which is a fitting recognition of the artist’s remarkable talent.”
The painting’s authenticity was confirmed by Dr. Remmelt Daalder, a leading van de Velde expert and Dutch art historian. Daalder noted the work demonstrates “all the characteristics of the way Willem van de Velde constructed his compositions,” including the artist’s signature low horizon, carefully grouped ships, and subtle lighting effects created by sunlight filtering through high clouds.
Dating from around 1680-1685, the painting was created during van de Velde’s English period and bears his rounded English signature. The work is believed to have remained in the same English family’s private collection since the late 1700s, passing by descent from the collection of John Edward Rudge (1903-1970).
The painting’s provenance traces back to Edward Rudge (1763-1846), a prominent botanist and antiquary who assembled a notable collection of Old Master works. Rudge was elected fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1802 and to the Royal Society in 1805, serving as High Sheriff of Worcestershire in 1829.
Willem van de Velde the Younger (1633-1707) was widely regarded as Holland’s master of maritime painting before his move to London around 1672 with his father Willem van de Velde the Elder. They relocated at the invitation of King Charles II and were initially given a studio at Queen’s House, the royal residence.
The artist’s incandescent, meticulously detailed seascapes set the standard for marine painting and were widely collected across Europe by admirals, wealthy merchants, and statesmen during the Dutch Republic’s naval dominance. His works continued to find favor among English aristocracy, including the Duke of York, after the family’s relocation to London.
Both van de Velde artists spent their remaining years in England and are buried in St James’ Church, Piccadilly, London, where a memorial commemorates their contributions to maritime art. Their influence on the genre extended well beyond their lifetimes, establishing techniques and compositional approaches that influenced generations of marine painters.
