JUSTUS DE VERWER (Amsterdam 1626 – Amsterdam 1689)
Shipping in Choppy Seas with a Whale in the Foreground
oil on panel
19 x 35 inches (49 x 90 cm.)
Justus de Verwer was the son and pupil of Abraham de Verwer. What we know of Verwer’s history is that from 1651 – 1656 he worked for the Dutch East India Company. He married in 1659. It is believed that he lived on the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam in 1681. By 1685 he was in Gouda, but by 1689 had returned to Amsterdam.[1] Naturally, he emulated his father’s style creating panoramic views with a penchant for ships with full-blown sails. Rows of choppy waves tend to predominate his seas.
Storm clouds loom overhead in this dramatic panel. Numerous ships toss in a churning ocean; their diminutive size contrasted against its vastness. On the far-left side of the panel one boat is about to be smashed against an enormous rock formation. Such imagery derives from sixteenth century emblem books in which ships represented mankind and such ominous cliffs “life’s ever-present perils”.[2] Just noticeable in the dark waters of the right foreground is a surfacing whale. Whales were traditionally viewed as symbols of impending doom, a belief that stemmed from the biblical tale of Jonah and the Whale.[3] Its presence should be taken as a further cautionary note.
Paintings by Verwer formed part of the permanent collections of the museums of Amsterdam; Greenwich, United Kingdom; and Luxembourg.
We are grateful to Fred Meijer for confirming that this painting to be by the artist called Justus de Verwer.
[1] Col. Rupert Preston, “Justus de Verwer” in Seventeenth Century Marine Painters of the Netherlands, F. Lewis Publishers, LTD, Leigh-on-Sea, 1974, p. 59; and “Justus de Verwer” on rkd.nl (RKD Explore) website.
[2] Sophie Carr, “Jan Theunisz Blanckerhoff, Shipwreck off a Rocky Coast” ” in Turmoil and Tranquility, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, 2008, p. 84.
[3] Sophie Carr, “Jacob Feytsz de Vries, A Dutch Whaling Fleet” in Turmoil and Tranquility, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, 2008, p. 168.