VELDE, van de, family of Dutch artists of Flemish origin
The family came from Oostwinkel, near Ghent in East Flanders, the birthplace of the seaman Willem van de Velde, who was for a time master of a transport vessel. By 1631 his son, the marine painter Willem van de Velde the Elder, had moved to Leiden, where he married Judith van Leeuwen, whom he divorced in 1662. Two of their sons became painters: Willem van de Velde the Younger, born in Leiden, and Adriaen van de Velde, born after the family moved to Amsterdam. Willem the Younger was a marine artist like his father; the two worked closely together and moved to England in the winter of 1672–73. By contrast, Adriaen was primarily a landscape painter, influenced by Jan Wijnants and Philips Wouwerman; he died shortly before his father and brother emigrated to England.
