The painting is typical of the scenes of calm with shipping which earned Van de Velde a considerable reputation in his native country. It shows Dutch fishing boats at low tide among the mud banks of Holland’s northern coast. The exquisitely drawn ships are carefully placed to create a satisfying composition. The silhouetted grey coast line, with a church, is just visible on the horizon. The luminous treatment of the sky adds to the mood of serene tranquillity. The picture’s high quality suggests that it was painted by Van de Velde the Younger for the Van de Velde studio c.1660. It was engraved in the eighteenth century, possibly by P. C. Canot, and attracted the attention of the 4th Marquess of the Hertford at the Scarisbrick sale, where he annotated his catalogue with the comment ‘magnifique’.