Bonaventura Peeters The Elder, View Of A Port In The Mediterranean With Watchtower, Boats

Bonaventura Peeters the Elder
Antwerp, 1614 – Hoboken, 1652

View of a port in the Mediterranean with watchtower, boats and figures
oil on panel, cm. 29.4x40.6
Signed and monogrammed on the rock at the bottom center towards the right:
B. PEETERS and further down B.P.
On the back, old wax collection stamp with two interlaced Ls and label from the Jean-Paul Meulemeester gallery in Brussels

The painting, in a very good state of conservation, depicts a port overlooking the Mediterranean Sea dominated at the center of the scene by an ancient watchtower reflected in the luminous waters of the bay; two boats moored with sailors intent on steering them and probably busy with loading and unloading operations. On the shore two groups of people in conversation with each other in which, among the figures in the foreground at the bottom right, the central one elegantly dressed and with a white turban on his head stands out, most likely representing the owner of one of the two boats larger size.

The sky is bright, blue, enriched by white clouds that do not disturb the harmony of the scene.

The rock at the bottom centre, slightly shifted to the right, bears the name and initials of the author, Bonaventura Peeters the Elder, great master of Flemish painting active in the first half of the 17th century and famous for his port and port scenes. stormy seas.

The work in question, presented for the first time after decades on the antiquarian market and therefore to be considered as unpublished, is a very interesting addition to the body of works of the Flemish painter and engraver, perhaps the most sought-after and influential author of maritime-themed paintings of all the Netherlands of his time. Little is known about his training: it is assumed that he trained under Andries van Eertvelt, a specialist in stormy seas and the date on which he was appointed master in the Guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp in 1634 is known.

As mentioned, his paintings include battle scenes, storms, shipwrecks, views of ships in rivers, coastal waters and harbors as well as interesting night scenes. He traveled extensively, from the seas of Scandinavia to southern Europe and it is in this area that he took inspiration for the landscapes of some of his most interesting works: the numerous views of distant ports in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern seas - a clear expression of growing taste for the exotic dominant in his time - to which the painting presented here - a delightful View of a port in the Mediterranean with watchtower, boats and figures - can rightly refer.

His works are present in the main private and public collections around the world, among which the painting on panel cm. 33x44 today at the national museum in Stockholm depicting an eastern port and the view of the port with tower and boats, also on a panel cm. 29.5x39.5, in a private collection.