File:A Dutch Yacht before the Wind in a Harbour RMG BHC0919.tiff

This painting illustrates a bustling, thriving waterway in which a number of vessels seem to jostle for space. A States yacht, laden with passengers, occupies the centre foreground. Behind it, a Dutch East Indiaman which is part of a fleet and carrying a vice-admiral, is shrouded in relative darkness. In the left foreground, a small rowing boat, in which a group of men are huddled, busily makes its way into the distance. Land flanks the sea on either side. On the left, a delicately rendered townscape appears in the distance while, on the right, a promontory and quayside extend into the sea. On it stand a group of trees around a stone column and a number of figures are seen strolling, surveying the waters. As in BHC0916, the sky dominates. It extends beyond the scope of the picture plane and broadly follows a diagonal compositional thrust. Particularly striking is the focus on the light in the painting which enters from the left and skims the water. The large East Indiaman is effectively shrouded in shadow. While the light highlights the vessels which flank it. Equally, the soft golden glow emanating from the horizon, on the extreme left, as well as from the tops of the clouds suggests that this is an early evening scene. This subtle indication of a precise moment and mood during the day is symptomatic of landscape painting in the 1650s and later. So too, is the visual interest given to human activity and the large scale of the figures in relation to the ships.

The formation of the Dutch East India Company, in 1602, was designed to provide legal powers to enforce a trading monopoly. The mid-seventeenth century saw the company at the height of its powers and, by the end of the century, only the East Indian islands remained as its trading base. East India ships were widely regarded as aristocrats of the oceans. Despite this, in this painting, the larger East Indiaman is intentionally placed in shadow. Whilst the artist has chosen to highlight the sails of the coastal craft, to the left and right, as well as the States yacht. This use of light and shadow is indicative of an increasing unease and suggests the declining importance of the East Indian trade.

Initially Backhuysen was a calligrapher in his native Germany before moving to Amsterdam. There, he was inspired by the grisaille drawings of van de Velde the Elder and, subsequently, introduced to marine painting in oils in the studios of van Everdingen and Dubbels. He was a contemporary of van de Velde the Younger and shared with him a concern for painting ships with accuracy and understanding. Like de Vlieger and the van de Veldes, Ludolf Backhuysen ran a thriving and industrious workshop in Amsterdam during the 1650s and 1660s. According to Houbraken, his pupils included, among others, Jan Claesz Rietschoof and Michiel Maddersberg. Although, a number of art historians have made different suggestions regarding the organization of Backhuysen’s workshop, the exact working arrangements remain unknown. Gerlinde de Beer has suggested that this painting is a studio work and she has argued that, while it may not be conclusively attributed to any particular Backhuysen follower, it is possibly the work of Wigerus Vitringa. Alternatively this work has been attributed to Backhuysen's pupil, J.C. Rietschoof. In terms of crispness of execution, the painting is markedly congruous with BHC0916. It is tentatively dated to circa 1680.