ABRAHAM STORCK | Shipping on the IJ, with a view of Amsterdam beyond

Anonymous sale, London, Phillipps, 23 February 1976, lot 55;
With A. Brod, London (by whom advertised in Die Welkunst, no. 10, 15 May 1976);
Carl Schünemann, Bremen, 1977, from whom acquired.

Münster, Westfälisches Landesmuseum, on loan 1981–85;
Rotterdam, Kunsthal, At Home in the Golden Age, 9 February – 18 May 2008, no. 146;
Osnabrück, Kunsthalle Osnabrück, Schöne Landschaft - Bedrohte Natur: Alte Meister im Dialog mit zeitgenössischer Kunst. Landschaftsbilder aus der SØR Rusche Sammlung Oelde/Berlin, 9 June – 13 October 2013;
Ahrenshoop, Kunstmuseum Ahrenshoop, Das flüssige Element. Seestücke des 17. und 21. Jahrhunderts aus der SØR Rusche Sammlung Oelde/Berlin, 25 May – 24 August 2014;
Nuremberg, Auf AEG, Gute Kunst? Wollen!, 19 September – 17 October 2015.

H.-J. Raupp (ed.), Niederländische Malerei des. 17. Jahrhunderts der SØR Rusche-Sammlung, vol. 3, Landschaften und Seestücke, Münster/Hamburg/London 2001, pp. 260–63, cat. no. 69, reproduced in colour;
W. Pijbes, M. Aarts, M.J. Bok et al, At Home in the Golden Age, exhib. cat., Zwolle 2008, p. 131, cat. no. 146, reproduced in colour.

The single oak panel is uncradled, flat and stable. The paint surface is clean, and the varnish slightly discoloured. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals very fine, small spot retouchings scattered through the sky along the horizontal wood grain, as well as small retouchings scattered along the margins. In overall very good condition.
"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."

Storck, a native of the city of Amsterdam, practiced his marine painting in the wake of Ludolf Backhuizen who often included the silhouette of towns in the background of his own marine pictures. Thus, Storck's hometown itself appears here on the distant shore. A preliminary drawing for this compositon (signed and dated 1680, 90 x 142 cm.) is recorded in the collection of F.C. Butôt.¹ An execution date for the present painting of soon after the 1680 drawing can be assumed. 1 L.J. Bol and G. Keyes, Netherlandish Paintings and Drawings from the Collection of F.C. Butôt, London 1981, reproduced p. 144.