- 139
Willem van de Velde the Younger
Estimate
25,000 - 35,000 USD
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Description
- Willem van de Velde the Younger
- Portrait of the English ship, Princess
- Black chalk and gray wash
Provenance
Curtis O. Baer (L.3366)
Exhibited
Washington, D.C., National Gallery of Art, et. al., Master Drawings from Titian to Picasso. The Curtis O. Baer Collection, 1985-87, no. 49
Literature
F. Fox, Great Ships: the Battle Fleet of King Charles II, Greenwich 1980, pp. 73-74, fig. 76
Condition
Window mounted. Light vertical crease down centre. Some very minor thin spots at edges fo sheet. Somewhat abraded and a little discoloured at edges. Some surface dirt throughout. Sold in a modern Dutch-style dark wood frame.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
'Ship portraits' of this type form a central part of the drawn work of the two Willems van de Velde. The two artists recorded in precise detail the distinctive stern decorations in particular, so that if they needed to include an image of the ship in question in a depiction of a particular naval battle, they could be sure their representation was totally accurate. It is, though, rare for a ship portrait of this type to include many figures, and the numerous and animated crew seen here is extremely unusual, giving the image an interesting extra dimension.
The ship depicted here was first identified by Frank Fox (see Literature). The 54-gun Princess was built in 1660 and survived only 20 years, but during that time she took part in all seven of the main battles of the Second and Third Anglo-Dutch Wars, and also saw significant action on a voyage to Gothenburg in 1662. Another drawing of the Princess, dated 1673, is at Greenwich.1
1. M. Robinson, Van de Velde Drawings...in the National Maritime Museum.., vol. I, Cambridge 1958, pp. 84, 168, no. 441, reproduced pl. 100