작품 상세

JOHANNES CHRISTIAAN SCHOTEL (Dutch 1787-1838) A PAINTING, "Low Tide Gun Salute From a Dutch Man o' War," oil on canvas, signed L/R. 63 1/2" x 84" NOTE: Instrumental in pioneering the second Golden Age of Dutch Painting, Johannes Christiaan Schotel is regarded as the preeminent marine painter of the 19th Century. A surge of patriotism in the 1600's had called Dutch artists to portray the Netherlands as a strong commanding naval nation. Staying true to the sentiments of his time, Schotel's reinterpretation of these established maritime subjects was guided by the 19th century principles of Romanticism and Historicism. He lived and worked in Dordrecht, Holland's oldest municipality located approximately twenty miles southeast of Rotterdam. Originally a yarn manufacturer, Schotel began to explore his artistic talents in 1805, when he became a member of Dordrecht's prestigious Pictura Society. His active participation in the group proved to be a pillar of Schotel's success. In the 1810's, the young artist developed his skills as a draftsman by attending Pictura's daily drawing circles. His early illustrated studies can be found in the permanent collections of Princeton University Art Museum, New Jersey; The Morgan Library & Museum, New York; and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, to name a few. During the harsh winter months, paritioners would often sit in as the subject of indoor drawing sessions, such as Schotel's black chalk rendering sold at Christie's Amsterdam, The I.Q. Van Regteren Altena Collection Part II. Dutch and Flemish Drawings from 1500-1900, Lot 6; or his "Study of a seated man in a hat," sold at Sotheby's Amsterdam, Old Master Drawings, 2 November 2004, Lot 192. However, the vast majority and his most prominent work is focused on the subjects and stories of the sea. His illustrated seascapes have been appearing on the market more frequently in the past decade, and securing successful sales results, such as the ink and chalk "Fishing Boats Near Shore" sold by Doyle New York, January 28, 2015, Lot 90; or "Fishing boats in a rough sea" sold at Christie's London South Kensington, Old Masters & Early British Drawings & Watercolours, 8 December 2011, Lot 335; as well as "Bringing home the catch of the day," sold during Christie's Amsterdam, A Romantic Affair: Paintings from an Important Private Dutch Collection, 18 November 2008, Lot 7. Active participation in the Pictura Society also benefitted Schotel socially. The established members took notice of the young artist's passion and talent, and he soon became their pupil. From 1805 he took lessons in drawing and painting with Adriaan Meulemans (1763-1835) and Martinus Schouman (1770-1848). In 1815, Schotel completed his first painting, executed in collaboration with Schouman, entitled "Bombarding of Dordrecht by the French on 24 November 1813," and in 1822 he established himself as an independent painter with the "Wreck of the Delphine," both works currently on display at the Dordrecht Museum, Netherlands. By this time, Schotel's contemporaries were referring to him as the most important painter of sea and river scenes. Word spread, and from 1827-8 and in 1837, our renowned maritime master would travel to France to execute commissioned pieces. His French scenes can be distinguished by their warmer palettes, such as "Gaff-rigged Ship Sailing before the Wind in Tempestuous Weather," prized at the 1827 Paris Salon and housed in the permanent collection of the Amsterdam Museum. From 1830 onward he increasingly began producing works at the request of foreign collectors, such as "Ships before the Coast" on display at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. He even caught the attention of the renowned U.K. Prime Minister and collector of Old Masters Paintings, Sir Robert Peel (1788-1850) of the Peel Collection. In correspondence with his art advisor Reginald Smith, Peel wrote in regard to a commission completed by Schotel, "I shall be obliged to you to inform Mr. Schotel that I am extremely pleased with the picture which he has painted for me - and that I shall place it in my gallery with my Van de Veldes, to which I think it is in no way inferior..." (W. Armstrong, The Peel Collection and the Dutch School of Painting, London and New York, 1904, pg. 31). Schotel's large scale marine oil paintings are sought after on the international market, with examples of sales results comparable to his "A Three mast and other Vessels in an Estuary," sold at Sotheby's Amsterdam, 19th Century Paintings & Contemporary Art, 13 December 2010, Lot 9. Yet, until now, the paintings sold on the international market have dwarfed in comparison to this lot, which may be the largest of Schotel's paintings to public knowledge. In addition, the red wax seal located in the middle of the painting's stretcher is impressed with the royal coat of arms, used between 1813 and 1815, by the Sovereign Prince William VI (1772-1843) from the House of Orange, who later became William I, King of the Netherlands.