L'Eau, from The Elements
17th century
Medium
Etching; second state
Dimensions
sheet: 3 1/16 x 8 in. (7.8 x 20.3 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1963
Accession Number
63.621.7(3)
Tags
Art Historical Context
**L'Eau, from The Elements** *Reinier Nooms, called Zeeman (Dutch, 1623–1667), 17th century* Etching; second state, sheet: 3 1/16 x 8 in. (7.8 x 20.3 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Prints Department Step into the turbulent world of 17th-century Dutch marine with *L'Eau* ("The Water"), a captivating etching by Reinier Nooms, nicknamed Zeeman ("sailor") for his seafaring life and expertise in depicting ships and seas. Created during the Dutch Golden Age—a time of naval prowess, trade dominance, and vulnerability to North Sea storms—this print is part of a series personifying th...
About the Artist
Reinier Nooms, called Zeeman
Reinier Nooms, known as Zeeman ("sailor" in Dutch), was a prominent Dutch maritime painter, draftsman, and etcher of the Golden Age, born around 1623 or 1624 in Amsterdam and dying there in 1664 at about age 40. Before turning to art around 1643, he led a rough life as a professional seaman, which informed his unparalleled accuracy in depicting ships, ports, naval battles, and coastal scenes—knowl...