Updated October 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 225 works by Ludolf Bakhuizen in our catalogue
In short
Ships in Distress off a Rocky Coast (1667) is the Ludolf Bakhuizen painting that draws the most eyes; the original belongs to the National Gallery of Art, Washington. After it, the eye goes to Dutch Merchant - Ships in a Storm (1690) and Ships on the Zuiderzee before the Fort of Naarden (1660). Among the 225 works of Ludolf Bakhuizen in our catalog, these 100 are the most famous, each a unique original presented with its year, its museum and the reason it endures.
The oil on canvas work titled Ships in Distress off a Rocky Coast was completed by the artist Ludolf Bakhuizen in 1667. This maritime painting depicts three cargo ships navigating a turbulent sea near a jagged coastline. The largest vessel occupies a central position, its sails pulled taut by the wind. To the left, a ship appears partially submerged in the water, while a third vessel on the right tilts…
This monumental oil on canvas, measuring 480 x 395 cm and dating from 1690, represents the pinnacle of Ludolf Backhuysen's artistic achievement. More than just a depiction of a maritime scene, ‘Dutch Merchant – Ships in a Storm’ is a visceral exploration of human vulnerability against the overwhelming power of nature—a theme deeply resonant within the Dutch Golden Age’s fascination with both commerce and the sublime. Backhuysen, born in Emden…
Ships on the Zuiderzee before the Fort of Naarden is a maritime oil on canvas by Ludolf Bakhuizen. Created about 1660, the work captures a moment of intense naval activity on the Zuiderzee. The composition centers on a squadron of vessels navigating the turbulent waters near the coastline.
The sky hangs heavy, a bruised expanse of gray and muted blue that presses down upon the horizon. Below, the sea is a restless, churning mass of dark water, where white foam crests and breaks against the hulls of wooden vessels. These sailing boats, scattered across the turbulent surface, tilt at precarious angles, their masts cutting sharp diagonal lines against the gloom. A single broken piling emerges from the waves…
The Foundering of the 'Coronation' 90 Guns at Rame Head is an oil on canvas by Ludolf Bakhuizen. The work captures a moment of maritime disaster, rendered in a large format of 147 x 231 cm. It is a heavy, physical presence of painted pigment and salt spray.
To gaze upon this depiction of Le Port d'Amsterdam is to be swept away by the very breath of maritime commerce. It is more than just a painting; it is a vibrant, captured moment in time—a testament to the relentless energy that once defined the Dutch Golden Age. The composition unfolds horizontally, inviting the viewer’s eye on a sweeping journey across the water. Numerous sailing vessels, their masts forming an…
In the dramatic expanse of Ships Running Aground in a Storm, we are thrust into the heart of a maritime catastrophe that feels as visceral today as it did in 1690. This monumental oil on canvas, a masterpiece by the German-born Dutch master Ludolf Backhuysen I, serves as a breathtaking window into the terrifying majesty of the North Sea. The composition is a sprawling, cinematic arrangement of at least twelve…
The scene unfolds within a large, circular studio space, where a diagonal arrangement of figures directs the eye from a seated artist toward a standing lady. To the left, an unseen light source casts strong highlights across the faces and clothing of the subjects, leaving much of the background in deep shadow. This chiaroscuro effect creates a sense of depth, pulling the viewer into the space between the figures. The…
In this 1699 oil on canvas, an elderly man is seated in a formal, scholarly setting. He is positioned slightly off-center to the right, facing the viewer with a steady gaze. The subject wears a heavy black cloak and a crisp white cravat that catches the light against the darker tones of his attire. His hands are visible, one holding a delicate quill, suggesting a life of intellectual or administrative…
The artwork depicts a dramatic maritime scene of several ships caught in a violent storm. It is a large-scale oil painting on canvas, characterized by turbulent seas and a menacing sky. The composition is dominated by swirling waves and dark clouds filling most of the frame. Ships are scattered throughout the scene, appearing vulnerable against the elements. The horizon line is relatively low, emphasizing the vastness of the sky and…
Portrait of a Man1684 · Rijksmuseum
12
Self portrait1690 · Rijksmuseum
13
View of the Amsterdam Port with the Swedish Ship 'Lejonet'; the Lutheran Church beyond1674 · Kunsthistorisches Museum
14
Allegory of Amsterdam’s booming merchant navy1650 · Amsterdam Museum
15
Marine, Choppy Sea1661 · Petworth House
16
A Dutch Harbour with Numerous Figures, a Man of War Firing a Salute beyond1661 · Chequers Court
17
Portrait of an Artist1688 · Hermitage Museum
18
The Storm1669 · Smithsonian American Art Museum
19
Shipping in a Choppy Sea1663 · Scottish National Gallery
20
Bust portrait of a man1680 · Fitzwilliam Museum
21
The Fishmonger1677 · Statens Museum For Kunst
22
The Eendracht and a Fleet of Dutch Men of war1675
23
Portrait of Petrus Francius (1645-1704)1688
24
Warship and Dutch Sailboats near the Shore1692 · Detroit Institute of Arts
25
Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee1695 · Indianapolis Museum of Art
26
The arrival of King-Stadholder Willem III in the Oranjepolder, 31 January 16911692 · Mauritshuis
27
Warship in rough seas with fishermen in the foreground1701 · New York Historical Society
28
Dutch Vessels on the Sea at Amsterdam1708 · The Louvre
29
A Shipwreck1660 · Fitzwilliam College
30
Ships at Sea1663 · The Art Museum RIGA BOURSE
31
Fishing Boats off the Coast in a Gale1700 · Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
32
ShipwreckThe Stirling Smith Art Gallery - Museum
33
Ships at a coming storm1658 · Museum der bildenden Künste
34
The bulwark ‘Het Blauwhoofd’ in Amsterdam1660 · Fondation Custodia
35
Seascape1650 · Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand
36
View across the River Y toward Amsterdam1660 · Museum of Fine Arts
37
Storm At Sea1660 · Walters Art Museum
38
The shipyard of the Amsterdam admiralty1657 · Rijksmuseum
39
Sea-piece, sailing boats in full speed1656 · Musée des Beaux-Arts de La Rochelle
40
Seascape with rough sea1656
41
Coast Scene1660
42
Warships and Small Ships in a Breeze1665 · Kunsthistorisches Museum
43
'Churning Water' (Het Haarlemmermeer)1665 · Amsterdam Museum
44
Ships in light breeze1664 · Gemäldegalerie
45
Ships on Choppy Seas1670 · Museum der bildenden Künste
46
Ships in a Storm1668 · Wallace Collection
47
The handover of command to Admiral de Ruyter off the coast of Texel, 18 june 16651671
48
Ships in storm1667 · Galleria Palatina
49
Ships in a Gale on the IJ before the City of Amsterdam1666 · Yale University Art Gallery
50
Parade of Yachts on the IJ1665 · Amsterdam Museum
51
The Dutch Man-of-War "De Gouden Leeuw" on the River Y near Amsterdam1674 · Museum of Fine Arts
52
View of Delft from the Schie1670 · Исторический музей Амстердама
53
Seascape1670
54
A Dutch Settlement in India, Viewed from the Land, Probably Ahmadabad1670 · National Maritime Museum
55
A Dutch Settlement in India, Probably Surat1670 · National Maritime Museum
56
Dutch Attack on the Medway the 'Royal Charles' Carried into Dutch Waters, 12 June 16671667 · National Maritime Museum
57
The Merchant Shipping Anchorage off Texel Island with Oude Schild in the Distance1665 · National Maritime Museum
58
The Roadstead of Plymouth1680 · Bavarian State Painting Collections
59
English Ship1675
60
Schips in the roadstead of Enkhuizen1680 · Staatliches Museum Schwerin
61
A Dutch Flagship and Other Vessels Running before a Gale1686 · Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
62
Shipping on the IJ, with Amsterdam mill De Bok on the bulwark Leeuwenburg (also called Blauwhoofd) in the middle, and the Toll house at the right1680
63
Storm at Sea1680 · Residence Museum in the Celle Palace
64
Frigate and Other Vessels on a Rough Sea1681 · Speed Art Museum
65
Beginning Storm1682 · Staatliches Museum Schwerin
66
Ships on the Y before Amsterdam1680
67
Shipwreck at Rocky Shore1678 · Hermitage Museum
68
Vessels in a Breeze off Enkhuizen on the Zuider Zee1683 · Royal Collection
69
The Warship "De Jacob" at Anchor1677 · Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp
70
Fishing Vessels Offshore in a Heavy Sea1684 · Minneapolis Institute of Art
71
Winter Scenery1677 · Statens Museum For Kunst
72
A Storm1677 · Statens Museum For Kunst
73
Seascape with Dutch Men-of-War and Fishing Boats1677 · Statens Museum For Kunst
74
Morning1677 · Statens Museum For Kunst
75
The Four Day's Battle, 11-14 June 16661687 · Statens Museum For Kunst
76
Evening. Amsterdam in the background1677 · Statens Museum For Kunst
77
Storm on the Dutch coast1682 · Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
78
The Salute1677 · Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
79
Dutch warships1676 · Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum
80
Ships on choppy water, in the foreground two men on a quay1677 · Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe
81
View from the Nieuwe Maas River towards the City of Vlaardingen1680
82
La retour de la flotte de la Compagnie des Indes néerlandaises (The Return of the Fleet of the Dutch East India Company)1677
83
Soldiers of the Dutch East India Company Embarking at the Montelbaans Tower, Amsterdam1685 · English Heritage
84
An English Vessel and a Man of war in a Rough Sea off a Coast with Tall Cliffs1680
85
The Battle of Texel, 11 August 16731685 · National Maritime Museum
86
The Bombardment of Dieppe1694 · Het Scheepvaartmuseum
87
Dutch ships on the roadstead of Emden1698
88
Dutch frigate and other ships off the coast; on the right side a pier where ships are loaded1690 · Kunsthalle Bremen
89
Dutch Ship in Foreign Bay1690 · Michaelis Collection
90
Ships off the coast, in the foreground a man on the shore1689 · Augusteum
91
Stormy Seas on a Mountainous Coast1690 · Gemäldegalerie
92
The Harbour of Amsterdam1697 · Bavarian State Painting Collections
93
Shipwreck off a rocky coast on March 1694.1694 · National Museum in Warsaw
94
Princess Mary anchored off Durgerdam1688
95
Ships off a Harbour1689 · Statens Museum For Kunst
96
Seas off the coast, with a spiritsail barge1697 · Rijksmuseum
97
Coastal view with sailing vessels in the surf and figures on the beach1697
98
The frigate Brielle on the Maas off Rotterdam1689 · Rijksmuseum
99
Fishing Boat in a Storm1690 · Musée D'art Moderne André Malraux
100
Dutch Craft Lying Close Onshore1697 · Wallace Collection
The four subjects that come back most often in these originals, each with its finest example.
The 8 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Ludolf Bakhuizen | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Statens Museum For Kunst |
Copenhagen | 8 | The Fishmonger, Winter Scenery, A Storm |
 Rijksmuseum |
Amsterdam | 23 | An artist in his studio, painting the portrait of a lady, Ships in Distress in a Raging Storm, Portrait of a Man |
 National Maritime Museum |
London | 17 | A Dutch Settlement in India, Viewed from the Land, Probably Ahmadabad, A Dutch Settlement in India, Probably Surat, Dutch Attack on the Medway the 'Royal Charles' Carried into Dutch Waters, 12 June 1667 |
 Amsterdam Museum |
Amsterdam | 4 | Self-portrait, Allegory of Amsterdam’s booming merchant navy, 'Churning Water' (Het Haarlemmermeer) |
 The Louvre |
Paris | 7 | LE PORT D'AMSTERDAM, Dutch Vessels on the Sea at Amsterdam |
 Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum |
Glasgow | 4 | Fishing Boats off the Coast in a Gale, A Dutch Flagship and Other Vessels Running before a Gale |
 Kunsthistorisches Museum |
Vienna | 3 | View of the Amsterdam Port with the Swedish Ship 'Lejonet'; the Lutheran Church beyond, Warships and Small Ships in a Breeze |
 Hermitage Museum |
Saint Petersburg | 3 | Portrait of an Artist, Shipwreck at Rocky Shore |
Pick a decade to see the original that defines it.
The composition is structured through a proscenium-like arrangement, where heavy, golden-brown curtains in the foreground create a sense of depth and stage-like presentation. These draperies direct the eye toward a vast seascape, framing a scene of naval abundance. In the midground, a large, detailed sailing vessel with prominent sails dominates the left-center, while various smaller boats dot the horizon. The background features a wide expanse of sea meeting a pale…
The oil on canvas work titled Ships in Distress off a Rocky Coast was completed by the artist Ludolf Bakhuizen in 1667. This maritime painting depicts three cargo ships navigating a turbulent sea near a jagged coastline. The largest vessel occupies a central position, its sails pulled taut by the wind. To the left, a ship appears partially submerged in the water, while a third vessel on the right tilts…
Ludolf Bakhuizen produced View of the Amsterdam Port with the Swedish Ship 'Lejonet'; the Lutheran Church beyond in 1674. This oil on canvas work belongs to the genre of marine art, a field in which the German-born Dutch painter established himself as a leading figure. The composition captures a specific maritime scene within the Amsterdam port, focusing on the interaction between large sailing vessels and the urban skyline.
This 1684 work, titled Portrait of a Man, was executed by the hand of Ludolf Backhuysen I. The artist, a German-born Dutch painter, brought his gaze to this intimate subject during the late seventeenth century. He was born in Emden, Germany, in 1630, a man whose life was shaped by the shifting tides of the North Sea and the meticulous precision of a former clerk.
This monumental oil on canvas, measuring 480 x 395 cm and dating from 1690, represents the pinnacle of Ludolf Backhuysen's artistic achievement. More than just a depiction of a maritime scene, ‘Dutch Merchant – Ships in a Storm’ is a visceral exploration of human vulnerability against the overwhelming power of nature—a theme deeply resonant within the Dutch Golden Age’s fascination with both commerce and the sublime. Backhuysen, born in Emden…
The scene unfolds within a large, circular studio space, where a diagonal arrangement of figures directs the eye from a seated artist toward a standing lady. To the left, an unseen light source casts strong highlights across the faces and clothing of the subjects, leaving much of the background in deep shadow. This chiaroscuro effect creates a sense of depth, pulling the viewer into the space between the figures. The…
Ships in Distress off a Rocky Coast (1667), National Gallery of Art, Washington. Dutch Merchant - Ships in a Storm (1690) and Ships on the Zuiderzee before the Fort of Naarden (1660) come next.
37 years old: Ships in Distress off a Rocky Coast dates from 1667, and Ludolf Bakhuizen was born in 1630.
Ships in Distress off a Rocky Coast, Dutch Merchant - Ships in a Storm, Ships on the Zuiderzee before the Fort of Naarden, Dutch Sailing Boats in a Rough Sea, The Foundering of the 'Coronation' 90 Guns at Rame Head, LE PORT D'AMSTERDAM, Ships Running Aground in a Storm, An artist in his studio, painting the portrait of a lady, Self-portrait and Ships in Distress in a Raging Storm. The ranking above gives each one's year and museum.
Our catalog holds 225 works by Ludolf Bakhuizen, dated from 1650 to 1708.
Mostly in Statens Museum For Kunst (Copenhagen), Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam) and National Maritime Museum (London). The museum table above lists them all.
In 1680s: 24 of the 100 works on this page were made then, Portrait of a Man among them.
On this page, the earliest is Allegory of Amsterdam’s booming merchant navy (1650) and the latest Dutch Vessels on the Sea at Amsterdam (1708).
Sea (12), Water (10) and Sky (10), across the 100 works on this page.
Oil On Canvas, for 23 of the 100 works on this page.
Dutch golden age and Baroque, judging by the originals on this page.
The Fishmonger, Winter Scenery and A Storm: the Statens Museum For Kunst, Copenhagen holds 8 of the works on this page.
