Coastal View With Fortified City, Peter Van Der Velde (1634 - C.171

Quality work by the painter Peter Van Der Velde (Antwerp 1634 - c.1714) 
Coastal view with fortified city and boats (city of Antwerp?)

Oil painting on canvas
70 x 87 cm.- In frame 76 x 94 cm.
Work accompanied by a critical study by prof. Fred G. Meijer (Amsterdam)

The valuable coastal view that we propose, of excellent quality and executive richness, is a work of the master of Flemish origins Peter van der Velde (Antwerp 1634-1707), famous author specialized in marine views with port cities, fortresses and boats, former master of the Guild of San Luca just twenty years old.

Thanks to its elegant descriptive taste and that scenographic sensitivity typical of the Flemish landscape tradition of the late seventeenth century, together with the meticulousness of the smallest details, the composition is fully among the most beautiful and important works on the market by Van der Velde .

We see immortalized by the author a fascinating coastal view, with some boats intent on navigating the shores of the city, which could evoke Antwerp - the painter's birthplace - with outstretched sails, flying the Dutch flag. Some lifeboats are reaching the vessel on the left to supply it with the necessary provisions. The representation of the ancient buildings is very fascinating, such as the great basilica with the bell tower, and also the religious building with the park surrounded by the high walls that we can admire on the right.

The work, as a typical element of Van de Velde's painting, is characterized by being wrapped in a light golden veil, in an all-Italian taste, with a predominance of blue and ocher tones, which envelop the painting in a fairytale atmosphere and out of the time.

Van de Velde's works are kept in major private collections, including:
Amsterdam- Rijksmuseum, Ansbach - Residenz Gemadegalerie, Stockholm - Statens Konstmuseum, Kiev- National Museum, Lille - Fine Arts Museum, London- Greenwich National Maritime Museum, Prague - Nostitz Museum, Saint Petersburg - Hermitage Museum.

The painting is in good condition and comes complete with a beautiful gilded frame, with an elegant intaglio decoration, with some small signs of aging.