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Willem van Velde the Elder (1611-93) and the Younger (1633—1707) in London 1672-1707 |
| 3 of 14 Pictures |
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| © National Maritime Museum, London |
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| Repro ID: BHC1818 |
| Description: This view of Greenwich by Hendrick Danckaerts from the south-east was painted in about 1675. The old Woolwich Road is shown passing through the Queen's House, the large building furthest to the left in the middle foreground. In the middle distance to the right, next to the river, is the new 'King's House', the east range of what is now the King Charles Court of the Old Royal Naval College, formerly Greenwich Hospital. This had just reached the end of its incomplete first stage of construction as a palace for Charles II when Pepys visited Greenwich in 1669. Pepys wrote in his diary 'thence, to Greenwich by water, and there landed at the King's house, which goes on slow, but is very pretty. I to the park, there to see the prospect of the hill to judge of Dancre's picture which he hath made thereof for me; I do like it very well-and it is a very pretty place'. It has been suggested that Pepys commissioned this work and that the couple walking in the foreground of the painting may be portraits of Pepys and his wife, with Danckaerts sketching to the left. However, although Pepys recorded that he ordered four large paintings from Danckaerts of the four palaces of Whitehall, Hampton Court, Windsor and Greenwich there is no substantial evidence that this is one of them. In the distance the buildings of London are visible, including the burnt-out shell of St Paul's following the fire of 1666. The artist was a Dutch born painter who in 1657 came with his brother Johannes to work in England. He became a court painter to Charles II who commissioned him to paint views of royal properties and harbours. |
| Creator: Hendrick Danckaerts |
| Date: c. 1669 |
| Credit line: National Maritime Museum, London | |
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