Lot 118: Pieter Jansz. Coopse , Hoorn 1638 - 1673 Dutch shipping in stormy waters, off the coast of Middelburg, with a view of Vlissingen and the Fort Rammekens in the distance oil on canvas

oil on canvas

measurements note 85 by 121 cm.

Anonymous sale, Amsterdam, Christie's, 24 September 2002, lot 138.

THE PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE COLLECTOR
In this composition Coopse included three landmarks of Zeeland well-known to the 17th-Century viewer: Middelburg to the left, on the far horizon in the centre the town of Vlissingen (Flushing), and to the far right we discern the characteristic silhouette of Fort Rammekens (see also the previous lot). These three places certainly evoked symbolic connotations to an audience which was involved in the activities of the V.O.C. and this group was likely to be the intended clientele for which the seascape was painted.

Besides the topographical appeal of the scenery, Coopse also succeeded in capturing the vastness of the estuaries in Zeeland in which the vigour of the elements compete with the maritime activities of the Dutch.

The composition can be compared to a signed View of Flushing, with Trafalgar Galleries, London, by 1999, and to another signed work, A view of Den Briel, sold, Amsterdam, P. Brandt, 11/14 March 1967, lot 16.