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A small panel painting showing a fleet of merchant vessels going through in a storm. The principal ship in the foreground is English and flies the St George flag from the mainmast and what may be intended as the striped ensign of the East India company from the stern on which is the painted or carved figure of Fortune, in the form of a naked female figure. She holds a billowing sail, an attribute of Fortune demonstrating that like the wind she is unpredictable, bestowing her favours at random. A ship at sea is similarly subject to the whim of the elements. Six figures are shown on board to remind the viewer of the possible implications of the storm for humanity. In the foreground on the left is a sea monster and on the right a barrel in the trough of the wave. There are two ships in the distance on the left, pitching and tossing in the waves, and one on the right.
The artist was a painter in the Flemish tradition who was born and died in Amsterdam. He painted a number of pictures of storms, in the style of Porcellis, as well as sea battles.
Title
English Ships in a Rough Sea
Date
1606–1610
Medium
oil on panel
Measurements
H 15.4 x W 22.8 cm
Accession number
BHC0810
Work type
Painting
