Hermanus Koekkoek the Elder was almost twelve years younger than his famous brother B. C. Koekkoek and, after the death of his brother Johannes, followed in the footsteps of his father Johannes Hermanus (1778-1851) as a marine painter. Continuing the tradition of the famous family of painters, he was especially praised for his river landscapes and seascapes, in which he specialized. Early in his career, Hermanus painted mostly stormy seascapes that betray the influence of well-known marine painters of his time such as Johannes Christian Schotel (1787-1883). It is in these paintings that his painterly qualities come into their own, as the present painting attests. The stormy atmosphere with waves breaking on the shore is expressed with lumin...