Attributed to Willem van de Velde the Younger, 
Dutch 1633-1707- 
A Galleon at sea; 
black chalk on...

Attributed to Willem van de Velde the Younger, 
Dutch 1633-1707- 

A Galleon at sea; 

black chalk on paper, bears initials 'WVVJ' (lower left), and indistinct collector's monogram (lower right), 67.4 x 50.4 cm. (unframed). 

Note: 
Willem van de Velde the Younger was one of the preeminent maritime artists of the 17th century, along with his father, Willem van de Velde the Elder (1610/11-1693). After his training with Simon de Vlieger (1601-1653) in Weesp, Van de Velde the Younger spent much of his early career in Amsterdam, before leaving his homeland to move to Britain with his father in 1672/73, where he enjoyed the patronage of King Charles II. 
The striking, dramatic shipping and battle scenes for which Van de Velde became known feature carefully and accurately rendered vessels, undoubtedly informed by his many detailed sketches and studies of ships like the example presented here.
The ship depicted in the present drawing is a Dutch vessel, and resembles Van de Velde's studies of the 'Vrede' and of a Dutch frigate, both in the collection of the Royal Museums in Greenwich [PAG6171 and PAH1718]. While the origin of the vessel indicates that the sketch was executed while Van de Velde still lived in the Dutch Republic, the monogram in the lower left corner of the present drawing is executed in the style the artist used after moving to Britain in 1672, and could have been added later, possibly by the artist himself. The Van de Veldes are thought to have occasionally added their signatures and monograms to earlier sketches, perhaps signing and selling earlier drawings to earn ready cash. Although the present work is unusually large for a work on paper by Van de Velde, it is not without precedent, with the British Museum holding a large drawing of the Royal Yacht Mary, measuring 48 x 86.5 cm., in their collection [1874,0808.97]. 

We are grateful to Dr Remmelt Daalder for his advice on this item.