Document: Entrance to a Dutch Port, Willem van de Velde II, Dutch, ca. 1665

This scene shows the difficulty of unloading a Dutch merchant vessel.   Numerous smaller boats are required to unload the hull, they are then rowed as close as possible to shore, and men must carry goods through the water if there is not a proper dock.   Low tide can leave some of the smaller vessels stranded in wet, mucky sand.    

Because the Dutch West India Company was creating settlements in places where docks didn't already exist, this scene must have played out hundreds of times until docks were built.   We can imagine why this was so frequently a priority in the building plans.

Metropolitan Museum Summary: Van de Velde received his first training from his father, a celebrated draftsman of ships. This view of a port combines nautical accuracy with the tonal painting he learned from another teacher, Simon de Vlieger, whose work hangs nearby. The vessels depicted range from small cargo and fishing boats to a state barge and East Indiamen destined for long voyages of trade and imperialism. Two humble figures wade ashore, connecting the maritime panorama to the beholder’s space on solid ground.

Title: Entrance to a Dutch Port

Artist: Willem van de Velde II (Dutch, Leiden 1633–1707 London)

Date: ca. 1665

Medium: Oil on canvas

Dimensions: 25 7/8 x 30 5/8 in. (65.7 x 77.8 cm)