Willem van de Velde

Willem van de Velde the Younger was a leading Dutch marine painter of the later 17th century. He was born in Leiden, the son of Willem van de Velde the Elder (1610-1693) who also a seascape painter. Van de Velde was originally based in Amsterdam, in 1672 he moved to the United Kingdom due economic collapse brought about by the French invasion. By 1674 he and his father had entered the service of Charles II, using the studio in the Queen's House at Greenwich, before moving to Westminster in 1691.