Jan Porcellis
Vessels in a Moderate Breezecirca 1629

On view:

Geffen Galleries

Oil painting of sailing vessels on a rough, wave-tossed sea under a cloudy sky, with a central boat heeling under full sail

Close-up of a dark wax seal with serrated edges affixed to a worn wooden surface; the seal bears a faint impressed design with arched and interlaced motifs, heavily deteriorated.

Close-up of an oval red wax seal affixed to a dark wood panel, showing an embossed heraldic or decorative design with scrollwork, partially deteriorated with dark discoloration at center.

Close-up of a dark wax seal affixed to a worn wooden surface, with a raised rectangular cartouche bearing an intertwined monogram at center.

Artist or Maker: Jan Porcellis
Southern Netherlands, 1584-1632, active Northern Netherlands
Title: Vessels in a Moderate Breeze
Date Made: circa 1629
Medium: Oil on wood panel
Dimensions: Panel: 16 1/4 × 24 1/4 in. (41.28 × 61.6 cm) Framed: 21 1/4 × 29 1/2 × 2 1/2 in. (53.98 × 74.93 × 6.35 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edward William Carter
Accession Number: M.2009.106.10
Classification: Paintings
Collecting Area: European Painting and Sculpture
Curatorial Notes: Jan Porcellis specialized in veristic, often dramatic, nautical scenes. Here, multiple ships navigate rough waters. Wind catches the sail of the single-mast vessel in the foreground, likely a local fishing or transport boat, a more humble subject than the ocean-faring ships often featured in paintings by the artist’s contemporaries. The coastline is not identifiable and none of the vessels is named, but Porcellis captured a scene familiar to Dutch viewers. His marines were lauded for their naturalism, earning praise from painter and art theorist Samuel van Hoogstraten, who deemed him the “great Raphael of sea painting.” With its low horizon and tonal similarities between water and clouds, Vessels in a Moderate Breeze fits the subgenre of a “gray”—an atmospheric painting defined by its somber color palette. Porcellis constructed the composition with layers of paint on a minimal ground, allowing the warmth of the wood panel to subtly come through the surface. In addition to its visual effects, this technique enabled artists to produce works more quickly, meeting the demands of an expanding market and increasing their profits.
Provenance: [Nystad, The Hague, sold to]; Mrs. N. Crommelin-Waller,(1) Laren and The Hague; [Nystad, The Hague, sold 1977 to]; Mr. and Mrs. Edward William Carter, Los Angeles, given 2009 to; LACMA.

Footnote

(1)Although the initial does not agree, she was probably Petronella Johanna Waller (1892–1978), who married Herman Arnoldus Crommelin (1885–1962) in Amsterdam in 1912. He died in Laren, and she died in The Hague.
Selected Bibliography: Walsh, Jr., John., and Cynthis P. Schneider. A Mirror of Nature: Dutch Paintings from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Edward William Carter (Second Edition). Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1992.
Sutton, Peter C. El Siglo de Oro del Paisaje Holandés. Madrid: Fundación Colección Thyssen-Bornemisza, 1994.
King, Jennifer, ed. Vera Lutter: Museum in the Camera. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Munich: DelMonico Books-Prestel, 2020.
Walsh, Amy L. The Mr. and Mrs. Edward Carter Collection of Dutch Paintings. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2019. https://archive.org/details/Carter_Collection_Dutch_Paintings (accessed May 23, 2022).

Jan Porcellis
Vessels in a Moderate Breezecirca 1629

On view:

Geffen Galleries

Artist or Maker: Jan Porcellis
Southern Netherlands, 1584-1632, active Northern Netherlands
Title: Vessels in a Moderate Breeze
Date Made: circa 1629
Medium: Oil on wood panel
Dimensions: Panel: 16 1/4 × 24 1/4 in. (41.28 × 61.6 cm) Framed: 21 1/4 × 29 1/2 × 2 1/2 in. (53.98 × 74.93 × 6.35 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edward William Carter
Accession Number: M.2009.106.10
Classification: Paintings
Collecting Area: European Painting and Sculpture
Curatorial Notes: Jan Porcellis specialized in veristic, often dramatic, nautical scenes. Here, multiple ships navigate rough waters. Wind catches the sail of the single-mast vessel in the foreground, likely a local fishing or transport boat, a more humble subject than the ocean-faring ships often featured in paintings by the artist’s contemporaries. The coastline is not identifiable and none of the vessels is named, but Porcellis captured a scene familiar to Dutch viewers. His marines were lauded for their naturalism, earning praise from painter and art theorist Samuel van Hoogstraten, who deemed him the “great Raphael of sea painting.” With its low horizon and tonal similarities between water and clouds, Vessels in a Moderate Breeze fits the subgenre of a “gray”—an atmospheric painting defined by its somber color palette. Porcellis constructed the composition with layers of paint on a minimal ground, allowing the warmth of the wood panel to subtly come through the surface. In addition to its visual effects, this technique enabled artists to produce works more quickly, meeting the demands of an expanding market and increasing their profits.
Provenance: [Nystad, The Hague, sold to]; Mrs. N. Crommelin-Waller,(1) Laren and The Hague; [Nystad, The Hague, sold 1977 to]; Mr. and Mrs. Edward William Carter, Los Angeles, given 2009 to; LACMA.

Footnote

(1)Although the initial does not agree, she was probably Petronella Johanna Waller (1892–1978), who married Herman Arnoldus Crommelin (1885–1962) in Amsterdam in 1912. He died in Laren, and she died in The Hague.
Selected Bibliography: Walsh, Jr., John., and Cynthis P. Schneider. A Mirror of Nature: Dutch Paintings from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Edward William Carter (Second Edition). Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1992.
Sutton, Peter C. El Siglo de Oro del Paisaje Holandés. Madrid: Fundación Colección Thyssen-Bornemisza, 1994.
King, Jennifer, ed. Vera Lutter: Museum in the Camera. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Munich: DelMonico Books-Prestel, 2020.
Walsh, Amy L. The Mr. and Mrs. Edward Carter Collection of Dutch Paintings. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2019. https://archive.org/details/Carter_Collection_Dutch_Paintings (accessed May 23, 2022).