Dutch painter.

Probably born in Haarlem circa 1606 – probably died in Leiden after 1659.

 

Marine painter.

He worked under the influence of Jan Porcellis, and also of Simon de Vliegher. He specialised in stormy seas, rendered in brownish – greyish tonalities, typical of the 1620s and 1630-ies. His paintings can be confused with storms by Pieter Mulier. 

Staets’ storm-tossed ships are represented either in open waters, or foundering for certain shipwreck onto a rocky coast. He renders well the general atmospheric conditions and the details of the ships.

 

Very little is known about Staets.

He was active in Haarlem in 1626.

He seems to have lived in Leiden between 1643 and 1659. There are fourteen 17th century collection inventories from inhabitants of Leiden known that include paintings by Hendrick Staets.

Cornelis Stooter (circa 1600 – 1655) was also active as a marine painter in Leiden around that time.

 

The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London, holds four paintings by Hendrick Staets.

 

 

We have just had our painting cleaned: the fresh colours that were hidden underneath a darkened, brownish layer of varnish have surfaced again.

As to the monogram (“B.P” referring to Bonaventura Peeters I) and date (“1639”), they are fake. Some paintings by Staets have in the past been erroneously attributed to Peeters. 

 

I think that now it is indeed much clearer that our painting should be given to Staets. Not many paintings are known by him and he is of course best-known for his earlier tonal works, dating from the 1620s and 1630s, painted with a limited palette of muted greyish and brownish colours. Our painting is a late work, dating from circa 1650, when the use of colours was again fashionable among Dutch landscape and marine painters. 

 

 

Because it is nice example of a middle 17th century Dutch marine painting by a rare painter.