Jochem de Vries

Born in Sneek, a city in the northern Dutch province of Friesland, Jochem de Vries probably trained with an as-of-yet unidentified master in Delft. Little is known of De Vrie's life, but seventeenth-century inventories indicate that he painted many marines for the local market, suggesting he was quite successful.

This marine painting was traditionally ascribed to Willem van Diest (1610-1668 or later), probably due to a misreading of the monogram as 'VD.' On the basis of stylistic comparison, the painting was reassigned in 1990 to Justus de Verwer (1625-1689), to whom such pictures, usually with a monogram 'IVD', were attributed. Although there are some stylistic aspects of the present painting consistent with de Verwer’s output – the rendering of the sky; the fine, detailed draftsmanship of the boats; and the highlighted undulation of waves – several works once thought to be De Verwer and that formed the basis of his artistic identity are now considered to date to the 1630s, and consequently are too early to be by his hand. As Fred Meijer articulated, these paintings are distinctly similar with the only known signed work by Jochem de Vries, suggesting that the vast majority of what was once regarded as Justus de Verwer's oeuvre including the present painting is, in fact, the work of Jochem de Vries.¹ 

In this enchanting seascape, a variety of vessels – including a three-masted merchant’s ship – traverse calm and benevolent waters. The variety and number of vessels, including the small rowboat in the right foreground, reflect the significance of seafaring to the Dutch Republic. When this scene was painted, Dutch merchant ships traversed the globe, bringing exotic goods and astounding wealth to the country. Such commercial success fueled a growing middle class leading to a flourishing Dutch art market and great demand for marine views such as this. 

We are grateful to Laurens Schoemaker for endorsing the present attribution on the basis of digital photographs. 

1. Signed 'I D Vries', inv. no. BHC0792, oil on panel, 101.5 by 147.5 cm.