Details

Name

Willem van de Velde II

Brief Biography

1633 - 1707, Dutch

Occupation

Artist

Description

Willem van de Velde II was probably first taught by his father and namesake who was also a marine painter. Although he was born in Leiden the family moved to Amsterdam when he was three and it was in that city that he was to establish his reputation as the best known of all Dutch marine artists. After tuition from his father he seems to have studied with another marine painter, Simon de Vlieger, before becoming an independent master. He worked closely with his father and both men were employed by the States General to record the actions of the Dutch fleet against the English and the French. Sometimes they actually sailed with the fleet to make studies for their paintings. In 1672, France invaded the Netherlands and this caused such an economic upheaval that many artists had difficulty earning a living.

The Van de Veldes were no exception and so they moved to England. Father and son set up a studio in the Queen’s House, Greenwich, where they were in the service of Charles II as artists to the English navy. In England Van de Velde continued to paint pictures for the Dutch market and occasionally visited his native country. During his career, Van de Velde made studies of virtually every type of vessel afloat. However, he worked very slowly and so there are not many absolutely authentic works by him. He had many imitators, particularly amongst 18th century English marine artists.