Maritime museum to show seascapes

The National Maritime Museum is putting its collection of Dutch and Flemish sea scenes on display.

They include works by Willem van de Velde and his son, de Velde the younger, produced after they were appointed painters to the court of Charles II in 1672.

For 20 years the artists worked in a studio in the museum's Queen's House, where the exhibition is being staged.

The two men are the best known of the Dutch and Flemish painters who helped create a demand for maritime art in both the Low Countries and Britain in the 17th century. But among more than 70 paintings in the show are works by other masters including Jacob van Ruisdael, Abraham Storck and Cornelis van Wieringen.

Jenny Gaschke, the curator, said seascapes were natural for artists in the Netherlands, which was shaped and influenced by water. "The 17th century is the absolute golden age of this work and the museum has one of the best collections in Europe," she added.

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