Hendrik Willem Mesdag - Pinks in the Breakers [c.1875-85]

Hendrik Willem Mesdag - Pinks in the Breakers [c.1875-85], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

Fishing boats are lying at anchor in the surf before Scheveningen. They are 'pinks,’ flat-bottomed boats with no keel and a broad curved prow. They were used in the herring fishery. The boats would be dragged along the beach by horses. Scheveningen did not yet have a harbour in the nineteenth century. To the left is a pink on dry land, surrounded by fisherfolk, mainly women with baskets of fish. A strong breeze is blowing and the breakers are capped with white foam. Mesdag (1831 - 1915) was skilled at catching the feeling of a rough day at sea. Seascapes and beach scenes were the speciality of this Hague School painter.

[Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam - Oil on canvas, 90 x 181 cm]