1030 - Abraham Storck

Abraham Storck View of the 'Stadsherberg' on the Ij with sailing ships Oil on canvas (relined). 39 x 48.6 cm. Signed lower right on the boat: A: Storck. Provenance Auction Galerie Heiniger, Wichtrach (Switzerland), 21.11.1974, lot 267. – Tajan, Paris, 23.3.2000, lot 13. – Johnny van Haeften, London. – Acquired there, and by descent since then in German private ownership. In Abraham Storck's lively harbour scene, the wind blows briskly about the viewer's ears. Beneath fast-moving, rain-heavy clouds lit by the sun, a busy scene unfolds in Amsterdam's harbour on the river Ij. A fishing boat laden with large wicker baskets is propelled by oarsmen through the choppy water in the foreground, while gulls glide toward the viewer overhead. Other boats have moored at the steps leading up to the inn at the right edge of the painting. The billowing folds of the sails and the taut, fluttering flags make the wind blowing through Storck's harbour scene almost palpable. The proud three-decker withdrawing into the background under the red-white-blue 'Prince's Flag' hints that Storck also excelled at painting grand naval battle scenes. He is likewise known for his Italianate harbour views. In this work, the versatile Amsterdam marine painter, who signed on the small fishing boat, invites us to experience an atmospheric Dutch everyday scene, rich in local colour.