Marine at the gates of a Byzantine city - 17th century Dutch school attributed to Cornelis de Wael (1592, 1667) and workshop

17th century Dutch school attributed to Cornelis de Wael (1592, 1667) and workshop, Marine at the Gates of a Byzantine City.

Canvas of 62.5 by 43 cm
Antique frame of 73.5 cm by 54 cm

Beautiful representation of a harbor at the foot of the ramparts of a Byzantine city (Constantinople?) We are at the end of the day in stormy weather. In the foreground a fishermen's boat, further out a ship is anchored in the waters of the harbor, on the quays men are discussing. Particularly noteworthy is the care taken in the representation of the city with a rich palette of generous colors.

Cornelis de Wael (1592, 1667)

Cornelis de Wael was born in 1592 in Antwerp into a family of artists. His father was the painter Jan de Wael I (1558-1633), and his mother Gertrude de Jode also came from a family of artists.
In 1619 he emigrated to Italy with his older brother Lucas de Wael, also a painter and engraver. They settled in Genoa, where Cornelis lived for most of his life, while his brother returned to Antwerp in 1628.
Genoa was then a privileged destination for artists, the competition between them being less intense than in the dominant cultural centers such as Rome, Florence and Venice. Genoa was a booming port city where many clients, potential collectors, were either passing through or living there.
The studio of the Wael brothers in Genoa became the center of the colony of Flemish artists who lived in the city or were passing through. These artists took advantage of the activity that the studio generated as well as the hospitality and materials it offered.
When Antony van Dyck visited Genoa, he stayed with the de Wael brothers and Cornelis became his main collaborator in the city. Van Dyck made a portrait of the two brothers that was reproduced by the engraver Wenceslaus Hollar.