Willem van de Velde I

Laid down on what appears to be an old album sheet. The sheet has yellowed somewhat and there is evidence of surface dirt and some minor staining throughout. Otherwise in good condition with the medium reasonably fresh throughout.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This drawing is very comparable in handling with a small but fascinating group of some dozen extremely early drawings by Willem van de Velde the Elder, where his style is, perhaps surprisingly for their date, astonishingly broad and powerful.  They were executed in 1643, in the northern ports of Texel and Den Helder, where the Dutch fleet had important bases.  Two large drawings from this group were until recently in the collection of the Duke of Northumberland¹, eight more are in the National Maritime Museum, Greewich, and one is in the British Museum.²  The earliest dated drawing by Van de Velde that is known was executed just five years earlier, in 1638, but for the most part the artist's earliest works were meticulously precise 'pen paintings', or pen and ink drawings on vellum, so the breadth and energy of these remarkable drawings of 1643 comes as something of a surprise.    

1.  Sale, London, Sotheby's, 9 July 2014, lots 30-31
2.  M.S. Robinson, A Catalogue of Drawings in the National Maritime Museum made by the Elder and the Younger Willem van de Velde, Cambridge 1958, vol. I, p. 33, nos. 3-5, vol. II, nos. 748-752; British Museum, inv. SL,5214.53