This evocative painting of ships in grave danger is dominated by a vast, cloudy sky. In the background heavy, dark clouds gather momentum as they swirl down towards the sea. This mass of cloud is emphasized by the accompanying patches of golden light which illuminate the sky in the upper corners of the composition. A streak of pink appears, above the horizon, on the left, suggesting that the scene takes place at dusk. In this theatrical and dramatic painting, three Dutch ships are portrayed in three stages of peril. In the water, on the right, two large ships sail perilously close to the rugged coast and a third, which is sinking, has been dashed on the rocks amidst the raging foam. The wind whips the sea into broad waves which erupt into chalky white spume against the dun-coloured coast. The modest size of the ships, particularly in comparison with the colossal scale of the natural elements, is especially striking. Given the time Blanckerhoff spent at sea, it is possible that the painting reflects his experience of events like this. The naturalism and painterly execution of the work endows the scene with a persuasive realism.

On the land, to the right, a castle or fortress adds to the dramatic effect. Also it acts as a contrast with the raging sea. Whilst the relative safety and solidity of the land highlights the vulnerability of the ships which are at the mercy of the elements. The jagged rocks, which repeat the castellated shape of the castle, loom above the doomed ship and guarantee her fate. As the rain beats down, the ship in the middle distance is at peril and the ship, on the far right, is doomed. Its fragility is emphasized by the thin masts which contrasts with the solidity of the dark and menacing vertical rocks. These rocks serve as harbingers of death amidst the white foam. The vertical nature of the clouds emphasizes the sense of the dramatic.

Blanckerhoff’s painting follows an established narrative for paintings of shipwrecks. Typically, in such scenes, the sorry state of one vessel, which has been shattered on the rocky shore, serves as a warning to others which sail desperately close to the jagged cliffs. Other artists, such as Bellevois (BHC0837) and van Plattenberg (BHC0796), availed themselves of the same narrative device. The destruction of one of the vessels, as a consequence of the overwhelming force of nature, would no doubt have encouraged reflective thoughts in a contemporary viewer. If the ships represent mankind then the treacherous cliffs nearby may represent life’s ever-present perils. A variety of specific dangers were alluded to in emblem literature as late as 1716, when Mattheus Brouërius van Niedek published his Zederyke Zinnebeelden der Tonge (Virtuous Symbols of the Tongue). This text shows an image of a ship driving uncontrollably towards looming cliffs and imminent destruction. The image is accompanied by the inscription: ‘dronken schap’ (drunken ship). This message makes clear the dangers of drunkenness, folly and anger. Moreover, it suggests unhappy consequences for those who fail to maintain self-control and may represent one possible interpretation of this image.

Blanckerhoff’s work has received comparatively little historical attention. This painting was long considered to be the work of Ludolf Backhuysen and was acquired, as such, in 1952. The apparent ‘LB’ monogram on the painting is in fact a ‘JB’ ligature. As a result it was reattributed to Blanckerhoff, who worked in a similar manner to Backhuysen, by Gerlinde de Beer. It probably dates to around 1660.