*This painting is sold but the artist is regularly available in our inventory		Nicolaas Riegen* 1827 – Amsterdam – 1899 Rough Seas Oil on panel 7 1/2 x 9 1/2 inches (19 x 24.5 cm) signed lower left: N. Riegen Born in Amerstdam, Riegen was a self-taught painter of seascapes and river scenes in a style characteristic of the early part of the century. He exhibited in Amerstam and The Hague from 1853 to 1878 and at Leeuwarden in 1855. The Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, boasts a painting of a ship in a swell. In this dramatic picture, a ship is tossed about on rolling seas as darkness and clouds obscure the blue of the sky. Reigen captures the moment right before a catastrophic storm unleashes its fury on the unfortunate souls making their escape in a rowboat. The tension of the scene is enhanced by the jagged crests being formed as the waves gain momentum and the precarious slope of the rowboat as it struggles to keep afloat.