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A Mediterranean port scene

A Mediterranean port scene
1652

Medium
oil on canvas

Measurements
66.0 × 102.0 cm

Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Felton Bequest, 1977
© Public Domain

Gallery location
Rembrandt Cabinet
Level 2, NGV International

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About this work

Trained by the Utrecht painter Abraham Bloemaert, Jan Baptist Weenix went to Rome in 1643, where he joined a lively society of Dutch and Flemish painters named the Bentvueghels (Birds of a Feather). Despite a reputation for buffoonery, the Northern painters conveyed an appreciation of adopted, classical setting in sophisticated, if sometimes irreverent, interpretations of the Italian landscape. Weenix returned to Utrecht in 1649 where he is credited with introducing the Italian harbour motif into Dutch painting. In this scene, the far-flung sources of Holland’s wealth are evoked through the exotic mix of trade, travel and industry taking place at a portside tavern.

Artwork Details

Inscription
inscribed in grey paint c.: Gio Batta Weenix f. 1652

Accession Number
E1-1977

Department
International Painting

This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Digitisation Champion Ms Carol Grigor through Metal Manufactures Limited