Rembrandt – The Storm on the Sea of Galilee

The Storm on the Sea of Galilee is a painting by Rembrandt from 1633 and the only seascape he painted: Christ’s disciples fight a wave that has torn their sail in a fishing boat, while Christ sits in shadow at the stern and calms them. The original, oil on canvas, 160 cm high and 128 cm wide, hung in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston until it was stolen in 1990; it has been missing ever since. We paint it by hand in oil on canvas in 7 sizes, from 97 x 122 to 205 x 249 cm, or to your own measurement, and you see it in a photograph before dispatch.

The Storm on the Sea of Galilee – Rembrandt

What does The Storm on the Sea of Galilee show?

The boat is heeled over almost on its side. From the left a huge wave crashes into it and white spray flies over the bow; the mainsail is torn and billows to the right. The museum describes exactly what the men are doing: at the raised end of the boat one squats and hauls on the rope of the foresail, three struggle around the mast to hold on, and eight are gathered around Christ at the lower end. One leans over the side, seasick.

Christ, in blue, sits among them almost calmly and tries to calm his disciples. Among them is a man in blue who holds his hand to his head and looks straight at us; he is often read as a self-portrait of Rembrandt. The light comes from the upper left and falls on the white spray, the sails and the men at the bow, while the right side and two thirds of the canvas stay in darkness.

Why is this painting so well known?

First, because it is the only seascape we know by Rembrandt and one of his early large works: he painted it at 27, as he was moving from Leiden to Amsterdam. The story comes from the Gospel of Luke, in which the disciples, in the middle of a sudden storm, wake Jesus and he calms the waves.

The second reason is the theft. In the early hours of 18 March 1990, two men dressed as police officers got into the Gardner Museum in Boston and took thirteen works, among them this painting, which they cut out of its stretcher with a blade. The case is unsolved and the works have not been found; the museum offers a $10 million reward for information leading to their return.

What does the painting mean?

The scene is a story about fear and trust. The disciples are experienced fishermen, yet the wave has overwhelmed them; Christ, who was asleep a moment ago, is the only one who is not afraid. Rembrandt shows this with light: where the men wrestle with nature it is blindingly bright, while around Christ there is calm and shadow.

Standing in front of it, anyone can also think of their own storms – illness, loss, danger – and of the question of whom to trust when the boat tips. That is why this canvas painting has a place even in homes where religious subjects do not usually hang. There is more on the story and the theft in the Wikipedia article on the painting.

Where is the original today?

Nobody knows. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston lists the painting under number P21s24 and notes: stolen in 1990. Because the founder decreed in her will that the collection must not be moved, an empty frame still hangs in the museum’s Dutch Room, waiting for the painting’s return.

Before that the canvas had come a long way. According to the museum it was probably owned by 1644 by the Amsterdam merchant Tymen Jacobsz Hinloopen, as a painting of St Peter’s ship, and by 1653 by Jacques Specx, a former Governor General of the East Indies. In 1898 the art historian Bernard Berenson bought it for Isabella Stewart Gardner.

The Storm or another Rembrandt – which should you choose?

The Storm is an upright painting full of movement, so it works well on a tall wall, beside a staircase or between two doors. If you want movement across the width, look at The Night Watch. A quieter biblical story from Rembrandt’s late years is The Return of the Prodigal Son, and a scene from the Old Testament is Bathsheba at Her Bath. For a quiet, thoughtful corner there is Aristotle with a Bust of Homer.

All the famous Rembrandt paintings we offer are on a single page: Rembrandt.

How is our hand-painted Storm made?

Every painting is made by hand by one of our painters, in oil colours on canvas. He or she starts with a drawing of the boat, the mast and the sails and compares it with the original, because the angle of the boat must be right or the feeling of falling is lost. Then come the dark blue sky and sea on the right and the bright clouds on the left, and only after that the men in the boat.

The hardest parts are the spray on the wave and the faces in shadow around Christ: the spray has to be bright and soft, the faces readable even though they are almost in darkness. The result is an oil painting reproduction with layers of paint and visible brushstrokes that a flat print cannot show.

Which size for which wall?

Short answer: 97 x 122 or 110 x 135 cm for a hallway wall, beside a door or above a chest of drawers, 120 x 155 or 137 x 170 cm for a tall living-room wall, and 150 x 195, 180 x 215 and 205 x 249 cm for staircases, galleries and rooms with high ceilings.

There are 7 upright sizes (width x height): 97 x 122, 110 x 135, 120 x 155, 137 x 170, 150 x 195, 180 x 215 and 205 x 249 cm. The original is 128 cm wide and 160 cm high; our nearest size is 120 x 155 cm, which is 8 cm narrower and 5 cm lower. As a painting for the living room it needs height, and it looks best where at least 30 cm of empty wall remains above and below it.

Because the painting is upright, hang it so that the spray of the wave, its brightest part, is at eye level, about 150 cm above the floor. For the tallest sizes, check the height of your ceiling and doors before choosing a stretched canvas.

What if I need a custom size or a frame?

If you need a different size, we paint The Storm in the width and height you want, ideally in the proportions of the original, about 4 : 5. Write to us with the dimensions you need and we will reply with a price and a lead time.

We send it rolled in a tube, stretched on a wooden stretcher bar or framed, as you choose; the stretching and framing are handled by our workshop in Slovenia. Which frame profile suits it you can check in the 3D application, which is meant only for choosing the frame; seeing the painting on your own wall is a service of its own. A wide dark moulding deepens the stormy sky, while a narrow gold one brings out the bright clouds and the spray.

How does delivery work, and what is the guarantee?

We paint The Storm for you to order, so making and delivery take 15 to 45 working days. We deliver across the EU with no customs. When the painting is finished we send you a photograph, and it only goes on its way once you approve it; anything that is not right we correct, and our returns policy applies to every order.

As a present, when the size is not yet decided, there is a wall art voucher that can be used for any painting we offer.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the original Storm on the Sea of Galilee?

Nobody knows. The painting was in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston until it was stolen on 18 March 1990. It has been missing since, and an empty frame hangs in the museum.

Who is in the painting?

Christ and his disciples in a fishing boat during a storm; Christ sits in blue at the lower end of the boat. The man holding his hand to his head and looking out of the painting is often read as a self-portrait of Rembrandt.

Which story does the scene come from?

From the Gospel account in which the disciples are caught by a storm on the Sea of Galilee, wake Jesus, and he calms the wind and the waves. Wikipedia names the Gospel of Luke, chapter 8.

Is your Storm a print?

No. It is a hand-painted copy in oil on canvas that a painter makes for your order, with real brushstrokes. On the surface you can see the layers of paint the painter puts on with the brush.

How big is the original?

According to the museum, 160 cm high and 128 cm wide. Our nearest size is 120 x 155 cm, and sizes from 97 x 122 to 205 x 249 cm are available.

Which size suits a staircase?

On a staircase an upright painting shows to best effect, so choose 137 x 170 or 150 x 195 cm, or 180 x 215 cm for a very tall stairwell. Make sure the painting can be seen from the bottom of the stairs.

Is it a good gift for someone of faith?

Yes, because it shows a well-known Gospel story, and at the same time anyone can stand in front of it and think about their own storms. If you do not know the size, give a wall art voucher.

What is the original worth?

Because it was stolen, it has no market price. The museum offers a $10 million reward for information leading to the recovery of the stolen works in good condition.

• Subject: Christ and the disciples in a fishing boat heeled over by a huge wave, with a torn sail and light from the left.
• Original: 1633, oil on canvas, 160 x 128 cm, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, stolen in 1990.
• Ours: a Rembrandt reproduction painted by hand in oil on canvas, in 7 sizes from 97 x 122 to 205 x 249 cm or made to measure.
• Worth knowing: it is Rembrandt’s only seascape, and its empty frame still hangs in the museum.