The Corvette "Galathea" in a Storm in the North Sea

While crossing the North Sea on the corvette Galathea in May 1839, Eckersberg experienced his first truly ferocious storm at sea. He described the experience in great detail in his diary (Eckersberg, 2009, 827f), and shortly after his return to Copenhagen he translated those descriptions into a painting. He has portrayed the ship’s battle with the waves as if he were looking at the scene from another ship. Armed with extensive insight into maritime life, his portrayal of the very limited spread of sails during the storm is undoubtedly entirely in keeping with actual fact. In his diary Eckersberg accentuated the blue and green nuances and how they contrasted with the white shades of the foam, and he strove to transfer his impressions to the canvas. However, the blue pigments (presumably Prussian blue) have faded somewhat over the years, so that the water now appears rather more green than Eckersberg originally intended.