Man-of-War and Small Vessels

From the Getty Museum record

This intimate drawing shows four ships sailing away under a cloudy sky. The amateur artist, Caspar van den Bos, used broad passages of gray to create the water and sails, while delicately using the point of the brush to achieve the more refined details such as the outline of the masts, ropes, and planks. He rendered the closest shipping vessel in darker shades of gray contrasting with the lighter tones for the three ships receding in the distance. Van den Bos included in the middle ground two mighty men-of-war warships that contributed to the Dutch Republic's maritime supremacy. Its secondary placement, coupled with the peaceful voyages of the nearby boats and placid waters, creates an image of serenity.