Description:

17th Century
pen and brown ink, with black and grey wash
395 x 404 mm

Provenance:

Charles Duits, purchased by him in the 1920’s
By descent to his son Clifford Duits
By descent to his son Graham Duits
By descent to his widow, Mrs Duits

Note:

This wash and ink drawing depicts a Dutch frigate at anchor viewed from the broadside with sails furled and flags gently rippling. Dutch standards top the two rightmost masts and the jibboom furthest to the right. A billowing dark flag trails behind the quarterdeck to the left. A single row of gunports demarcates the vessel as a military frigate as opposed to a commercial luyt.

The drawing likely dates to the second half of the 17th century. The form and execution of the ship echoes many of the ship’s profiles sketched by the Van de Velde family, of which 700 are now housed at the Royal Museum in Greenwich. Although the usage of grey wash and brown ink is found in other Van de Velde compositions, the combination is perhaps most typical of Ludolf Bakhuizen (1630–1708). The delineation of the ship’s rigging and features in brown ink, and the drawing’s low horizon in grey wash are characteristics often found in Bakhuizen’s marine oeuvre.