The Outer Harbor of Brest
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
29 1/4 x 42 1/8 in. (74.3 x 107 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Vincent Astor, 1978
Accession Number
1978.493
Tags
Art Historical Context
Henri Joseph van Blarenberghe *The Outer Harbor of Brest (1773) captures the vibrant maritime life of one of France’s premier naval ports during the Ancien Régime. Painted in oil on canvas, this expansive 29¼ × 42⅛-inch work depicts the bustling outer harbor of Brest, alive with ships, boats, and the distant silhouette of the city against a luminous sky. Van Blarenberghe, a master of vedute from a renowned family of Flemish-origin painters in France, excelled in these topographical scenes, blending precision with atmospheric depth reminiscent of Dutch Golden Age influences adapted to 18th-cent...