He was also influenced by the work of the Dutch artist Jan van de Cappelle, who excelled at painting cloudy skies, the clouds often being reflected in the calm waters.

[1] The pair was married for a mere fifteen months, and in 1653 Van de Velde began proceedings to separate from his wife.

Father and son were driven from the Netherlands by the political and economic conditions which resulted from war with the French, and moved to England.

[7] Here they were engaged by Charles II, both at a salary of £100, the Younger to aid his father in "taking and making draughts of sea-fights", his part of the work being to reproduce in color the drawings of the elder Van de Velde.

Most of Van de Velde's finest works represent views off the coast of Holland, with Dutch shipping.