Lieve Pietersz. Verschuier (Rotterdam c. 1630-1686)

Verschuier was one of the most original marine painters in Holland, and his highly personalized technique for rendering lighting and optical effects is dramatically evident in the present picture. This attention to the play of light was borne out of a trip to Rome undertaken by the artist in about 1655 - Arnold Houbraken states that the Utrecht painter Johannes van der Meer (c. 1640-1682) 'travelled to Rome in the company of Lieve Verschuier'. During this sojourn, Verschuier must have come into contact with the landscapes of Claude Lorrain, which seem to have had a lasting influence on him. Verschuier's delight in the rendition of a rich, Mediterranean sky in which the sun is sinking towards the horizon and casting dazzling reflections across the water is on full view in the present work, which also gives careful attention to the precise depiction of ships and shipping activities, similarly typical of the artist's output.