Reinier Nooms
Reinier Nooms
Dutch, c. 1623–c. 1667
Birth placeAmsterdam, Netherlands
Death placeAmsterdam, Netherlands
Biographyhttp://www.nmm.ac.uk/mag/pages/mnuInDepth/Biography.cfm?biog=43Biography of Reinier Nooms called Zeeman (circa 1623–1667)
Dutch marine painter and etcher, mainly active in his native Amsterdam, where he led a rather rough and drunken life. He took up painting late, having previously been a seaman for many years. His nickname refers to this experience and is the one by which he is referred to in legal documents. Nothing is known about his training. His first-hand knowledge of shipping and far-away places is reflected in his accurate records of ships and topographical views. He commemorated the Dutch victory in the ‘Battle of Leghorn, 14 March 1653’ (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam; a smaller version is in the National Maritime Museum, London). The painting was commissioned as an overmantle for the Amsterdam Chamber of the Levant Trade. A trompe l’œil sheet of paper, painted in the bottom left corner, bears inscriptions identifying the men-of-war taking part in the battle. Zeeman travelled widely, visiting Paris, Venice and the north coast of Africa and made those places a subject of his drawings, paintings and etchings. In the 1650s he published three series of plates of ships and topographical views, ‘faits après le naturel’. They served as a raw source for other artists. One of his last paintings is the 1664 ‘View of the River IJ and the Admiralty Depot’, showing the imposing new building by Daniël Stalpaert which is now the Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum.
Person TypePerson
