Johannes Christiaan Schotel

Kunsthandel Rob Kattenburg, Amsterdam, 1996

Original canvas. Some stretcher marks along the edges. Some craquelure mainly in hte sky, a horizontal retouch of circa 9,4 cm and 5 cm in hte upper right corner of the sky. A few minor retouches in the sky, The vessels are untouched except for a horizontal 5 cm retouch in the sail to the right. Scattered retouches in the water.
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Like many painters in the 19th century, Johannes Christiaan Schotel had his own speciality. While there were painters specialised in townviews, landscapes or animal scenes, Schotel specialised in marine subjects.

Born as the son of a factory owner in Dordrecht, the idea was that Johannes Christiaan would succeed his father in the business. However, he soon developed a talent for drawing and in 1805 he was registered as a member of the 'Teekengenootschap Pictura' in Dordrecht. Schotel took lessons from Martinus Schouman, who was a well known marine painter at that time. Soon Schotel would surpass the skills of his teacher.

As the present lot clearly shows, Schotel painted in the tradition of 17th century masters like Willem van de Velde the Elder and Ludolf Bakhuyzen. He had a preference for choppy seas, so wonderfully rendered in this painting. One can feel the breeze and the effort of the sailors to steer the boat in the foreground.

Two of Schotel's three children were talented as well. His son Petrus Johannes, born in 1808, also became a marine painter and his daughter Christina Petronella, born in 1818, became a painter of flower still lifes.