Calme and Tempête

These two paintings, originally titled ‘Calme’ and ‘Tempête’ (Calm and Storm), were commissioned as a pair by Stanislas Augustus, King of Poland, in June or July 1772. However, Vernet sold them instead to the British officer and East India Company official Lord Clive, known as Clive of India, who had been impressed by two similar seascapes the artist had exhibited at the Paris Salon the previous year.

‘Calme,’ the first of the two paintings, depicts an imaginary harbor as fishermen return with their catch on a peaceful summer evening. In contrast, ‘Tempête’ shows a rocky shoreline battered by a violent sea storm, with two ships caught in the massive waves and another wrecked against the rocks.

These works are among Vernet’s finest marine paintings and exemplify the style for which he was renowned. They are the only significant pair of marine views by Vernet held in a British public collection.