Abraham Storck

ABRAHAM STORCK Amsterdam 1644 – Amsterdam - 1708 Abraham Storck was a leading Dutch marine painter of the latter half of the seventeenth century. His brothers Johannes (1629-1673) and Jacob (1641-c.1686/8) were also painters, but Abraham was the most successful and prolific member of the family. Storck was born in Amsterdam and spent most of his life in his native city, where he became a member of the Guild of St Luke. He probably received his earliest training from his father Jan Jansen Sturck (or Sturckenburch), a painter from Wezel described by his second wife as ‘a rascal and a lecherous rogue’. Storck’s work reveals the influence of Ludolf Backhuysen (1631-1708) and of Jan Abrahamsz. Beerstraten (1622-1666), who was a family friend. Storck painted naval battles and scenes of Amsterdam harbour enlivened with people and craft. He also painted fanciful Mediterranean views influenced by Jan Weenix (1642-1719), but is not thought to have travelled to Italy himself. Storck painted a number of celebrated events and festivals, such as the Review of Dutch yachts on the River Ij in honour of Tsar Peter the Great in 1697 (Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum, Amsterdam). He also recorded the reception of the Duke of Marlborough on the Amstel in 1704 (location unknown) and depicted Dutch fluyts hunting whale (Maritiem Museum Prins Hendrik, Rotterdam). The work of Abraham Storck is represented in the Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum, Amsterdam; the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam; the Maritiem Museum Prins Hendrik, Rotterdam; the National Gallery, London and the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.