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Notes
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A Dutch trading ship, flying the Dutch flag, is being carried by bleak and tenebrous waters which force it towards dark, foreboding cliffs. Foamy waves, composed diagonally across the surface of the painting, haul the ship closer towards the rocks, where they erupt and break. The sea gives way to dark brown boulders that rise from the water and tower over the vessel which, by contrast, appears small and insubstantial. Smaller still are the sailors seen aboard the ship: one of them urgently climbs the rigging to attend to the sails, hoping to save the ship from being wrecked. The dramatic effect of the incident is emphasized since this figure is highlighted against the darkness of the menacing sea. This creates a sense of foreboding and danger, heightened by the blackness of the sky. A dark and treacherous coastline rises up in the distance. A faintly sketched vessel is visible in the background and is, also, struggling amidst the waves and approaching the hazardous rocks. This underlines the ever-present threat posed to shipping by jagged rocks which emerge from the sea.
Biographical information about van Plattenberg remains elusive. From 1630 he worked in Paris, being tutored by Jacques Fouquier, and where the majority of his known works were executed. He was elected a founder member of the French Academy in 1648 and remained a member until his death in 1660.
Title
A Dutch Ship Running onto a Rocky Coast
Date
late 1640s
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 58.5 x W 92.7 cm
Accession number
BHC0796
Work type
Painting
