The Blockade of the Privateers' Nest at Dunkirk
Cornelis Isaacsz. Verbeeck
(Dutch, about 1590 – 1637)
about 1630
Medium/TechniqueOil on panel
Dimensions77 × 121 cm (30 5/16 × 47 5/8 in.)
Framed: 99.1 × 142.2 cm (39 × 56 in.)
Framed: 99.1 × 142.2 cm (39 × 56 in.)
Credit LineMuseum purchase with funds donated by Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo, in support of the Center for Netherlandish Art
Accession number2021.59
On View
On viewClassificationsPaintings
DescriptionToday Dunkirk is best known as the town on the English Channel where over 300,000 British and French soldiers were evacuated to England during World War II. But that battle was just one of many that took place over the centuries near this port. In the 17th century, Flemish privateers (seagoing mercenaries), backed by Spain, menaced Dutch commerce in the North Sea. Here, we see Dutch warships, flying the red, white, and blue flag of the Republic, arrayed along the coast to keep Flemish ships at bay.
Verbeeck’s picture typifies the early phase of Dutch seascape painting, characterized by a high horizon line, bright colors, and meticulous detail.
NOTES:
[1] As suggested by Rob Kattenburg, Cornelis Isaacsz. Verbeeck: Discovery of a Masterpiece (2020). Philips van Dorp was captain of the ship Vlieghende Groene Draeck. [2] Visible in a 1897 photograph of their home. A Swedish-language label on the verso suggests it was called The Cape of Good Hope when it was in their possession. [3] As “Men o’ war outside the coast with a city and a fort beyond.”
Cornelis Springer
Cornelis van Poelenburch
