Willem van de Velde I (c. 1611-1693)Willem van de Velde I was born in Leiden around 1611. He concentrated on drawing ships throughout his working life, and he used these sketches as the basis for his pen paintings. He sailed with the Dutch fleet as a sort of war reporter. In peacetime he made drawings and pen paintings of the royal vessels. Van de Velde I made his name with these drawings and pen paintings, but in later life he also produced a few oil paintings. Here, too, he stayed faithful to his lifelong passion: he essentially painted portraits of ships. Willem van de Velde I died in London in 1693. |
