51 - Willem van de Velde the Younger,

Willem van de Velde the Younger, Dutch 1633-1707- Calm: a ship drying sails in an anchorage, with other small craft; brown ink on paper, 12.4 x 21.4 cm. Provenance: The Earls of Feversham, Duncombe Park, North Yorkshire. thence by descent to the present owner. Private Collection, UK. Note: This work, and the other van de Velde lots in this sale, form part of a group of drawings produced by Willem van de Velde the Younger in London, towards the end of his career, between c. 1690 and 1700. They provide a good insight into the phase that preceded his paintings [Remmelt Daalder, "Van de Velde & Son: Marine Painters. The firms of Willem van de Velde the Elder and Willem van de Velde the Younger", second edition, Leiden, 2020, p. 181]. Such sketches in black or (as in the case of this drawing) brown ink presumably served as examples and instructions for assistants in the studio [more drawings of this type can be found in: Michael S. Robinson, "Van de Velde drawings: a catalogue of drawings in the National Maritime Museum made by the Elder and the Younger Willem van de Velde", vol. II, Cambridge, 1974, pp. 300-317]. Characteristic of such small works is the swift, sure hand of the draughtsman, giving the impression that the artist has spontaneously translated his thoughts into images. The drawings in question here are not accompanied by any notes (as is sometimes the case with similar drawings), but appear to have been intended as initial outlines for a composition. Such sketches were subsequently developed into oil paintings by assistants, under supervision of the master. Sometimes the master would first produce a ‘modello’ in oil paint. As Van de Velde regarded such drawings as working tools rather than finished works, they are generally unsigned by him. It is possible that the drawings were originally part of one or more larger sketch sheets. They were then later cut into smaller formats [as seen in "Blad met verschillende scheepstypen", unsigned pen and brown ink drawing by Willem van de Velde the Younger, c. 1690, 28.5 x 21. Greenwich, National Maritime Museum, nr. PAF6677]. This sheet, together with the rest of the van de Velde lots, have been glued onto a supporting sheet of a later date. Once this support has been carefully removed, it will be possible to determine whether the drawings were ever part of a larger whole. In conclusion, it can be asserted that these six small drawings, which were previously unknown, constitute an important addition to the oeuvre of Willem van de Velde de Younger. Unfortunately, no paintings could be found for which one or more of these sketches had served as preparatory studies. They offer an interesting insight into the working practices in Willem van de Velde the Younger’s studio during the final years of career. [Dr. Remmelt Daalder, Amsterdam, 2 September 2026] We are grateful to Dr Remmelt Daalder for confirming the attribution on the basis of high-resolution photographs, and for his assistance in preparing the catalogue entry. We are also thankful to Dr Pieter van der Merwe for supporting the attribution on the basis of photographs and for suggesting the titles.