Marine painting is a four hundred year old specialism of the traditional Dutch school of painting. Painting ships and the sea requires both nautical knowledge and great artistic talent. Cécile Bosman examines the background, training and subject matter of nineteenth-century marine painters. She also describes how marine paintings were viewed by the marine painters themselves, by their peers in the artists’ associations, by art theorists and by art critics.

It turns out that throughout the nineteenth century, marine painting was seen in Dutch art circles as a vehicle for patriotism. This kind of cultural nationalism was rooted in the country’s historical connection with the water and, in particular, the glorification of the Netherlands as a seafaring nation. An enduring myth that is now the subject of intense public debate. This beautifully illustrated book fills a gap in art and cultural-historical knowledge of marine painting, while offering an insightful look at the still influential nineteenth century.