Rowing competition at Rotterdam – Frans Arnold Breuhaus de Groot, 1846
“De eerste Wedstrijd der Koninklijke Nederlandsche Yacht-Club, gehouden den 10 Junij 1846 op de Maas te Rotterdam.” [The first competition of the Royal Dutch Yacht Club, held on 10 June 1846 on the river Meuse at Rotterdam.] Lithograph by Frans Arnold Breuhaus de Groot, printed by Carl Wilhelm Mieling at The Hague. Coloured by a later hand. Size (image): 36.2 × 52 cm.
The lithograph depicts the very first rowing competition of the Royal Dutch Yacht Club, held on the Maas at Rotterdam. The festively arranged event was attended by hundreds of spectators on grandstands and countless ships. The print shows the lively bustle on the water: flags flutter, boats full of rowers pass along the quay, and in the background the Maas is filled with festively decorated vessels.
Later that same year, in September 1846, the first sailing competition followed, held on the IJ in Amsterdam.
The Royal Dutch Yacht Club (K.N.Y.C.) was a watersports association founded in 1846 by Prince Hendrik. The Yacht Club aimed to be more than a local watersports society – it aspired to become a truly “Dutch” club. From the start, however, things did not go smoothly: the board counted six Rotterdammers and only one Amsterdammer. In the mid-19th century distances were still considerable, and people preferred to stay closer to home. In Amsterdam, the Royal Dutch Sailing and Rowing Association (KNZ&RV) was established in December 1847 with the same objectives as the Yacht Club. After its foundation, most Amsterdammers ended their membership of the Yacht Club. Around 1860, negotiations took place with the board of the Royal Rowing and Sailing Association “De Maas” (founded in 1851) to merge the two organisations. The talks, however, did not yield the desired result.
The Yacht Club’s situation continued to decline, and in 1871 Prince Hendrik had to provide financial support to pay off creditors. His death in 1879 also marked the approaching end of the Yacht Club, which was formally dissolved in 1882 due to lack of funds. Yet none of this is apparent in this fine lithograph, which captures the festive optimism of its very first competition.
Price: SOLD
