A calm Sea with a Kaag and a Boeier close to the Shore

Dated 1673 and depicting a kaag and a boeier — two types of shallow-draft Dutch inland and coastal craft — close to shore in calm conditions, this oil painting reflects Van de Velde's sustained attention to the mundane vessels that carried the Dutch economy on its rivers and estuaries. A kaag was a flat-bottomed coastal trader, a boeier a beamier pleasure or cargo boat; both types were intimately familiar to Dutch audiences. The 1673 date is significant because that year Van de Velde transferred his professional allegiance to England, yet this composition is entirely Dutch in character — he evidently continued working through stock Dutch subjects in his studio even as his patronage shifted. The painting's current unlocated status in a named collection suggests it has remained in private hands, consistent with the large proportion of Van de Velde's output that never entered public museums. Such small-scale cabinet works were produced in considerable numbers by his studio to meet persistent market demand.

Oil on canvas with a horizontal format that emphasises the flatness of the coastal landscape. The shore and its low dunes or sea-walls occupy only a thin strip, giving maximum space to the interaction of water and sky. Vessels are painted with detailed attention to their working fittings — cleats, halyards, tillers — within a broadly simple composition.