Willem van de Velde the Younger
Willem van de Velde the Younger (18 December 1633 – 6 April 1707) was a Dutch marine painter, son of Willem van de Velde the Elder, who also specialized in maritime art. His brother, Adriaen van de Velde, was a landscape painter. He learned from his father and later from Simon de Vlieger, a marine painter of repute at the time, who worked around Weesp.
### Biography
Willem van de Velde was baptised on 18 December 1633 in Leiden, Holland. His father was a barge master, and from an early age Willem joined his father at sea. By the 1650s he had established himself as a ‘ship’s draughtsman’, often accompanying Dutch fleets at sea to record ships and battles first hand. He married Petronella Le Maire of Weesp in 1652, but the marriage lasted only fifteen months, and in 1653 Van de Velde began proceedings to separate from his wife. At that time he lived at Prins Hendrikade and likely had a view on the harbour and the Amsterdam Admiralty. From 1655 one of his neighbors was Michiel de Ruyter, a Dutch Navy Officer. He married Magdalena Walravens in 1656, the daughter of a skipper. They had four children and the last one was baptised at Zuiderkerk in 1674. Willem van de Velde achieved great celebrity by his art before he came to London. In 1673, when he moved to England as a consequence of the economic collapse brought about by the French invasion he was forced to earn his living. By 1674 he and his father entered the service of Charles II, offering him a salary of £100, the Younger to aid his father in “taking and making draughts of sea-fights”, his part of the work being to reproduce in color the drawings of the elder Van de Velde. He was also patronized by the Duke of York, more later crowned James II, and by various members of the nobility.
### Artistic Style and Notable Works
Willem van de Velde’s artistic style is characterized by delicate, spirited, and finished handling, with correct drawing of vessels and their rigging. His paintings often feature numerous figures, successfully introduced to tell a story. Some of his notable works include: Dutch men o' war and other shipping in a calm (available on Most-Famous-Paintings.com) The sea battle at la hogue, c. 1701 (albertina, vienna, austria) (view on Most-Famous-Paintings.com) Calm - two dutch vessels (view on Most-Famous-Paintings.com) Three ships in a gale (view on Most-Famous-Paintings.com) Dutch ships in a calm (view on Most-Famous-Paintings.com) Museums and Collections Willem van de Velde’s paintings can be found in various museums, including the Mauritshuis in the Hague, Netherlands (discover the masterpieces of mauritshuis on Most-Famous-Paintings.com). His work is also featured in the Wallace collection in London, including “the embarkation of king charles ii at scheveningen, 1660”.
### Influence and Legacy
Willem van de Velde’s legacy as a master of dutch marine painting continues to inspire artists and art enthusiasts alike. His attention to detail and ability to capture the essence of the sea have made his paintings timeless classics. As a prominent figure in the dutch golden age, Willem van de Velde’s work remains an integral part of art history.
