Hendrik Willem Mesdag

The canvas has been relined. Two minor retouches in the house on the shore near the left edge. This work would benefit from cleaning, otherwise in good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Hendrik Willem Mesdag, one of the founders of the Hague School, established a great reputation as a painter of seascapes, a subject that fascinated him throughout his artistic career. After scoring a huge success at the Paris Salon in 1870, winning a gold medal with a large seascape, he gained wide and international recognition. His marines were in great demand and he became one of the best selling artists of his day.

After a four years stay in Brussels, were he was educated by the Dutch landscapists Willem Roelofs, Mesdag returned to Holland in 1869 and settled in The Hague. The direct contact with the sea became a great necessity to him. Therefore he frequently stayed in the nearby fishing village Scheveningen, which enabled him to study the sea under all circumstances, from quiet serenity to wild fury, but also - as the present lot shows well - at night. The present lot features a rare and unique subject in the oeuvre of the artist: a nocturnal scene. We see a three master entering the harbour of Scheveningen, pulled by a small pilot steamer, which leaves diagonal traces of smoke in the sky. The cloudy sky is illuminated by the light of the moon, which immerses the sea and the shore in a soft glow, only enlivened by some faint light sources in the far distance. After the storm of 1894 had destroyed a large part of the Scheveningen fishing fleet, it was decided to have a harbour built which was finished in November 1904. The present lot has most probably been painted around that time. Mesdag painted very few nocturnes, of which the present lot is a particularly fine example.

The present lot can be compared to a smilar nocturnal scene illustrated in J. Poort, Hendrik Willem Mesdag 1831-1915. Oeuvrecatalogus, Wassenaar, 1989, p. 403, no. 40.05.