Willem van de Velde, the Elder, 18th century (engraving)

Creator: Godfrey Kneller (artist); Gerard Sibelius (engraver) Willem van den Velden [van de Velde], Ships Draughtsman to King Charles the II. Engraved from an Original Picture of Sir Godfrey Kneller, in the Possession of the Rt Honble Sir Edward Walpole. Knt of the Bath'. Portrait of the marine draughtsman and painter Willem van de Velde the Elder, 1611-93, painted after his move to England in 1672/3 with his son Willem, the Younger, and their appointment as painters of 'sea fights' to Charles II. The print was made in the mid-18th century when the original oil portrait was in possession of Sir Edward Walpole (1706-84) , second son of Sir Robert Walpole, Prime Minister and later first Earl of Orford. Edward Walpole had a number of marine paintings in his collection, largely by English painters including Monamy and Swaine.The whereabouts of the painting are no longer known.