In this scene the ships are tossed back and forth amid the fierce waves. The drama is heightened by the powerful clair-obscur and the dark clouds that have gathered over the sea. Everything is so evocatively painted that it seems as if the storm is heading straight for us. We are dragged into the scene whether we want to or not. Backhuyzen’s skilful composition ensures that the various elements of the painting are visually linked. The porcelain quality of the surface water reveals this painting to be from the final years of Backhuyzen’s oeuvre.