Introduction: A Haarlem Specialist
Pieter Mulier the Elder stands as a significant figure within the rich tapestry of Dutch Golden Age painting. Active primarily during the first half of the 17th century, he carved a niche for himself as a dedicated and highly skilled marine painter. Operating predominantly from the vibrant artistic centre of Haarlem, Mulier became known for his evocative depictions of the sea in its various moods, contributing significantly to the development of seascape painting in the Netherlands.
His life and work are sometimes confused with those of his son, Pieter Mulier the Younger, who gained fame (and notoriety) in Italy under the moniker 'Cavalier Tempesta'. However, Pieter Mulier the Elder possessed his own distinct style and artistic trajectory, rooted firmly in the Dutch tradition. He excelled in capturing the atmospheric conditions of the North Sea coast, mastering the subtle interplay of light, water, and sky that characterized the best of Dutch marine art. His career coincided with a period of immense maritime activity and national pride in the Dutch Republic, making seascapes a particularly resonant genre.
Early Life and Artistic Formation in Haarlem
Born in Haarlem around the year 1600, Pieter Mulier the Elder emerged into a city bustling with artistic talent. The exact details of his training remain somewhat obscure. Unlike some contemporaries whose apprenticeships are well-documented, Mulier's specific teacher is not definitively known. Earlier assumptions that he learned from a father named Pieter Mulier I are not substantiated by current art historical research; his father was likely of Flemish origin but not recorded as a painter.
It is highly probable, however, that Mulier absorbed the prevailing artistic currents in Haarlem. The city was an early centre for marine painting. He would have been aware of the works of pioneers like Hendrick Cornelisz Vroom, who is often considered the father of Dutch marine art, and Cornelis Claesz van Wieringen. More direct influences likely came from the generation immediately preceding or contemporary to him, particularly those masters who were moving towards a more naturalistic and atmospheric representation of the sea.
Mulier's formal entry into the professional art world of Haarlem is marked by his registration in the city's Guild of Saint Luke in 1638. This membership was essential for artists wishing to sell their work and take on apprentices. By this time, he was already an established artist. Records also show his personal life developing in Haarlem; he married Maritge Jansdr. Beuckelaer in 1635, and after her death, he married Jannetje Laurens in 1638. These roots in Haarlem society underscore his connection to the local artistic environment where he would primarily live and work.
The Development of a Marine Specialist: Style and Subject
Pieter Mulier the Elder's artistic identity is inextricably linked to marine painting. He specialized in this genre, exploring its various facets throughout his career. His early work aligns closely with the 'tonal phase' that swept through Dutch landscape and seascape painting in the 1620s and 1630s. This style emphasized atmosphere over precise detail and utilized a restricted, often monochromatic palette dominated by greys, browns, and muted blues and greens.
The influence of Jan Porcellis, a leading innovator of the tonal seascape, is evident in Mulier's work. Porcellis broke away from the colourful, detailed, and often historical marine scenes of artists like Vroom, focusing instead on the realistic depiction of weather, waves, and light on water, often using low horizons and dramatic cloud formations. Simon de Vlieger, another master of atmospheric marine painting active initially in Rotterdam and later Amsterdam, also appears to have been a significant influence, known for his silvery light and tranquil scenes, but also capable of depicting rough weather.
Mulier adopted this focus on atmospheric realism. His paintings often depict coastal scenes with fishing boats ('pinken' or 'bomschuiten') drawn up on the beach, ships navigating choppy waters under gathering storm clouds, or vessels sailing calmly under vast, light-filled skies. He demonstrated a keen observational skill in rendering the texture of water, the movement of waves, and the subtle gradations of light filtering through clouds. Human figures, when present, are typically small, serving to emphasize the scale and power of nature, a common theme in Dutch art of the period.
Signature Techniques and Compositions
Mulier developed a recognizable technique suited to his atmospheric goals. His brushwork could be relatively fluid and suggestive, particularly in the rendering of skies and water, allowing for soft transitions between tones. He often employed a low viewpoint, giving prominence to the expansive sky, which frequently occupies two-thirds or more of the canvas. This compositional device enhances the sense of space and allows for dramatic plays of light and shadow across the clouds and the sea's surface.
His palette, while often subdued in line with the tonal style, was capable of capturing specific weather conditions effectively. Grey, overcast days, the moments before or after a storm, or the calm light of early morning or late afternoon are recurring motifs. He was adept at depicting reflections on wet sand or calm water, adding touches of realism and visual interest. The types of ships rendered – from humble fishing vessels to larger merchantmen or occasionally warships – are generally depicted with accuracy, reflecting the maritime world familiar to his audience.
While sometimes overshadowed by contemporaries like De Vlieger or the later Willem van de Velde the Younger, Mulier's work possesses a distinct character. His seascapes often convey a sense of immediacy and intimacy, focusing on the everyday relationship between the Dutch people and the sea that surrounded and sustained them. He balanced the need for topographical plausibility with the artistic desire to evoke a specific mood or atmosphere.
Representative Works
Several works exemplify Pieter Mulier the Elder's style and contribution. Paintings held in the Teylers Museum in Haarlem, such as Beached Boat with Men at Work, Merchantman, and Ships in a Calm, showcase his typical subjects and tonal approach. These smaller works often feature carefully observed details of rigging and boat construction, combined with his characteristic atmospheric skies and water. Action between a Galley and a Merchantman, also in the Teylers Museum, demonstrates his ability to handle more dynamic, though still atmospherically focused, scenes.
The Boymans van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam holds Beached Boat, another characteristic coastal scene. Beyond these, works attributed to him can be found in major international collections. The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, for instance, holds examples like Ships in a Stormy Sea, which powerfully conveys the drama of rough weather through dynamic wave patterns and dark, imposing clouds, yet retains a degree of tonal subtlety.
The National Gallery in London possesses Shipping in a Calm, a work that highlights his skill in rendering tranquil waters and luminous skies, reflecting the influence of artists like Simon de Vlieger. The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London, also houses works by Mulier, appropriate given its focus on maritime history and art. These paintings collectively demonstrate his range, from serene harbour views and coastal calms to the more turbulent depictions of storms at sea.
Context: Haarlem and the Dutch Marine Tradition
Pieter Mulier the Elder worked within a thriving artistic community in Haarlem. While Amsterdam and Delft also became major centres, Haarlem had a long-standing tradition, particularly in landscape and marine painting. Mulier's contemporaries or near-contemporaries in Haarlem included landscape painters like Salomon van Ruysdael and the great Jacob van Ruisdael (though Jacob's major marine works came later), whose tonal approaches to landscape paralleled developments in seascape painting. Jan van Goyen, though not primarily based in Haarlem, was a key figure in tonal landscape whose influence was widely felt.
Within marine painting specifically, Mulier belonged to a generation building on the foundations laid by Vroom and Van Wieringen. He worked alongside artists like Cornelis Verbeeck and Hans Goderis, who also specialized in marine subjects in Haarlem. His focus on atmospheric realism places him firmly within the mainstream development of Dutch seascapes in the second quarter of the 17th century, a path also trodden by Porcellis and De Vlieger.
Later in the century, the style of marine painting would evolve again, with artists like Willem van de Velde the Elder and his immensely influential son, Willem van de Velde the Younger, bringing a greater precision, detail, and often a focus on specific historical events or ship portraits. Ludolf Bakhuizen, working in Amsterdam, became known for his dramatic, often stormy, seascapes towards the end of the century. Mulier's work represents a crucial phase between the early pioneers and these later masters, characterized by its emphasis on mood and the natural elements.
The Other Pieter Mulier: Clarifying Identities
It is essential to distinguish Pieter Mulier the Elder (c. 1600 – 1659/70) from his son, Pieter Mulier the Younger (c. 1637 – 1701). The son, perhaps initially trained by his father, left the Netherlands for Italy around 1656 and spent most of his long career there, primarily in Rome, Genoa, and Milan. He achieved considerable fame as a painter of dramatic landscapes and seascapes, often featuring storms, which earned him the nickname 'Cavalier Tempesta'.
Pieter Mulier the Younger's style diverged significantly from his father's. Influenced by Italian and French landscape painters working in Rome, such as Gaspar Dughet (also known as Gaspard Poussin, brother-in-law of Nicolas Poussin) and Claude Lorrain, his work became more dramatic, colourful, and infused with the Baroque sensibilities prevalent in Italy. He often incorporated classical ruins or pastoral figures into his landscapes. His seascapes, while retaining a Dutch sense of realism in the depiction of ships, are generally more turbulent and theatrical than his father's work.
Furthermore, Pieter Mulier the Younger's life was marked by dramatic events entirely separate from his father's career. He was accused and convicted of arranging the murder of his first wife in Genoa in order to marry his mistress. Although sentenced, he eventually secured his release, possibly through influential patrons. This notorious episode belongs solely to the biography of 'Cavalier Tempesta' and should not be associated with Pieter Mulier the Elder, who lived and worked relatively quietly in Haarlem. Other artists the son encountered or was influenced by in Italy include Salvator Rosa for his wild landscapes, and possibly figures within the Genoese school like Cornelis de Wael.
Later Life, Death, and Legacy
Pieter Mulier the Elder continued to live and work in Haarlem throughout the 1640s and 1650s. His dated works become scarcer in the later part of his career, but he remained active in the city's artistic life. The exact date of his death is subject to some uncertainty among scholars, with records suggesting either a burial in Haarlem in November 1659 or possibly as late as 1670. The earlier date is perhaps more likely, placing his productive years firmly in the period from the late 1620s to the mid-1650s.
His legacy lies in his contribution to the Dutch tradition of marine painting during its formative and arguably most innovative period. He was a skilled practitioner of the tonal, atmospheric seascape, capturing the unique light and weather of the Dutch coast with sensitivity and realism. While perhaps not as revolutionary as Porcellis or as internationally famed as the later Van de Veldes, Mulier was a respected master in his own right, producing a consistent body of work that appealed to the Dutch taste for depictions of their maritime environment.
He likely passed on his initial training to his son, Pieter Mulier the Younger, thus providing a link between the Dutch marine tradition and the subsequent development of landscape and seascape painting by Dutch artists working abroad, particularly in Italy. His work influenced other Haarlem artists and contributed to the overall high standard of marine painting in the Dutch Golden Age. Artists like Aelbert Cuyp, though primarily a landscape painter, also incorporated masterful depictions of water and shipping, reflecting the widespread interest in such subjects.
Collections and Recognition
Today, works by Pieter Mulier the Elder are held in numerous public collections across Europe and North America, attesting to his historical significance. Key holdings remain in the Netherlands, notably at the Teylers Museum in his native Haarlem, the Boymans van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam, and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
Internationally, his paintings can be found in institutions such as the National Gallery, London; the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich; the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin; the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen; and various regional museums in France, Germany, and elsewhere. His works also appear periodically on the art market, indicating continued interest from private collectors. While perhaps not a household name like Rembrandt or Vermeer, Pieter Mulier the Elder is recognized by curators and art historians as a talented and important representative of the Dutch school of marine painting.
Conclusion: An Atmospheric Vision of the Sea
Pieter Mulier the Elder occupies a respected place in the history of Dutch art. As a specialist marine painter working primarily in Haarlem during the Dutch Golden Age, he excelled in capturing the atmosphere of the sea and sky. His work, strongly influenced by the tonal phase pioneered by Jan Porcellis and Simon de Vlieger, is characterized by its subtle palette, evocative rendering of light and weather, and realistic depiction of coastal life and shipping.
Distinct from his more flamboyant and internationally active son, 'Cavalier Tempesta', Pieter Mulier the Elder remained rooted in the Dutch tradition, contributing significantly to the development of the atmospheric seascape. His paintings offer a compelling vision of the maritime world that was so central to the identity and prosperity of the 17th-century Dutch Republic. Through his skillful brushwork and keen observation, Mulier conveyed both the tranquility and the potential turbulence of the sea, leaving behind a body of work that continues to resonate with viewers appreciative of the nuances of Dutch Golden Age marine art.
