Scheveningen Beach

Sunlight reflects off pools of water in this bright coastal scene, illuminating a cheery band of characters. Unlike many of the marine paintings in the collection, Edward William Cooke focuses on the figures rather than the sea craft. Primarily a marine painter, Cooke often travelled to the coasts of Holland to gain artistic inspiration. This scene is set near The Hague. A group prepares cargo that has just been offloaded from the larger boats moving away on the water. In the foreground, baskets are overflowing with the day’s catch. In others we can spy pottery and supplies. On the far left, a hat has escaped its owner, whilst on the right small children play on the sand.

The painting was created for William Wells of Redleaf (1768-1847), who was a patron to many artists of the era, notably Edwin Henry Landseer (1802-1873). William Powell Frith (1819-1909), J. M. W. Turner (1775-1851) and Cooke were also known to have frequented Wells’s home, named Redleaf, in Penshurst Park in Kent.

Purchased by Thomas Holloway, 1882.