[or Vandevelde]. Dutch painter, a son of William van de Velde, the elder, also a painter of sea-pieces; born at Amsterdam in 1633. He was instructed by his father, and afterwards by Simon de Vlieger, a marine painter of repute at the time, and had achieved great celebrity by his art before he came to London. In 1674 he was engaged by Charles II., at a salary of £100, to aid his father in “taking and making draughts of sea-fights,” his part of the work being to reproduce in colour the drawings of the elder van de Velde. He was also patronized by the Duke of York and by various members of the nobility. He died in London on the 6th of April 1707. Most of van de Velde’s finest works represent views off the coast of Holland, with Dutch shipping. His best productions are delicate, spirited and finished in handling, and correct in the drawing of the vessels and their rigging. The numerous figures are tellingly introduced, and the artist is successful in his renderings of sea, whether in calm or storm.
Van de Velde was a most prolific artist: in addition to his paintings, of which Smith catalogues about three hundred and thirty, he executed an immense number of drawings, sketches and studies, which are prized by collectors.
