ABRAHAM STORCK

SHIPPING ON THE IJ OFF AMSTERDAM

Left of center is a gaff-rigged transom yacht belonging to the Amsterdam chamber of the East India Company, with the letters A VOC on the white field of the Prince’s flags at the stern and on the spritsail topmast. The Amsterdam chamber had two of these yachts, which were used for carrying people or dispatches out to ships in the roads. Sailing around the stern of the yacht is a boeier from the town of Hoorn with lowered foresail and an unusual rudder ornament in the form of an outsize man’s head.

In the foreground is an oared or tented yacht with a trumpeter on deck. Under sail to the right of centre is the gaff-rigged pleasure yacht belonging to Michiel Louysz. van Bergen van der Grijp, a well-known Amsterdam parvenu. He was the son of Marinus Louysz. of Middelburg in Zeeland, a director of the Dutch West India Company, and of Eva Ment, the widow of Jan Pietersz. Coen, the first Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies.

In 1688 Emperor Leopold I elevated Michiel Louysz. to the nobility on the grounds of his supposed descent from Cornelis van Glymes, Lord of Bergen op Zoom. Michiel evidently wanted everyone to know about his new status, judging by the number of times he has blazoned his coat of arms on the stern of his yacht and on various flags.

Michiel Louysz. was one of the chief patrons of the famous bookbinder Albertus Magnus. His 24-volume Blaeu atlas is now in the Van Stolk Atlas in Rotterdam. Louysz.’s yacht was undoubtedly a familiar sight on the IJ, and it appears in several of Storck’s paintings.

The vessels in the background include a kaag with spritsail, a buss, a waterschip, an English merchantman and a Dutch frigate.