Willem van Diest

Brunander Collection, Berlin;

Their sale, Berlin, Cassirer and Helbing, 11 November 1919, lot 19 (as Willem van de Velde the Elder);

Where acquired by "Bercovitz for Pfaff," for 4,500 Marks;

With Lane Fine Art, London;

Acquired from the present collector, 1996.

Willem van Diest was active in The Hague from the middle decades of the seventeenth century and specialized almost exclusively in marine subjects, particularly naval vessels, harbors, and calm seas. In the early decades of the century, relatively few painters in The Hague focused on seascapes, but this changed around 1630 with Van Diest’s arrival. He quickly established a local reputation, to the extent that by 1639 he could be identified simply as “Master Willem, ship painter.”

His most successful works belong to a series of serene calms painted between circa 1649 and 1653, strongly influenced by Simon de Vlieger during the years when De Vlieger was active in Weesp. Van Diest closely followed the innovations of De Vlieger and his circle, responding to contemporary demand, particularly in and around The Hague, for refined, picturesque seascapes of tranquil weather. These calm compositions were especially well suited to him, allowing for a sensitive exploration of atmosphere and tonal harmony. Large three-masters are typically set back in the distance and softened by sea haze, while a cool grey-blue palette is subtly enriched with delicate pink and light brown accents.

His figures and vessels, though more lightly rendered than those of De Vlieger, are fluently integrated into a harmonious whole. Certain perspectival inconsistencies, particularly in the spatial relationship between small foreground craft and larger vessels beyond, recur throughout Van Diest’s oeuvre and should be understood as characteristic rather than anomalous. Such passages are evident in the present painting, notably between the two figures in their rowing boat and the large three-master.

The animated interplay of masts and rigging, seen, for example, in the 1651 calm in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna (inventory number GG 5882), recalls the refined marine idiom of Jan van de Cappelle, while broader, more open arrangements resonate with the work of Hendrick Jacobsz Dubbels. In the present seascape, Van Diest’s strengths come fully to the fore. The carefully observed warship reflects his familiarity with contemporary naval craft, while the firing of a salute, a controlled ceremonial discharge rather than an act of violence, underscores themes of naval ritual and state power.

In the foreground, two fishermen, finely and fluently painted, provide a human counterpoint to the imposing vessels beyond. Their handling closely recalls the fishermen in Van Diest’s coastal scene in the Musée Fabre, dated 1646 and painted on panel, reinforcing the artist’s continuity of motif and sensitivity to everyday maritime life within these calm, luminous settings.

We are grateful to Gerlinde de Beer, who endorsed the authentication of this painting based on photographs.