collection W.H. Franze-Hayhurst, Bosloch Hall, Middlewich

Sale London (Christie’s) 22 April 1949, no. 90 (52 gns to Wengraf)

Sale Amsterdam (Christie’s) 4 December 1984, no. 8, with picture (fl. 27.360)

 Adam Silo was born on Christmas Day 1674 in Amsterdam. He was baptized in the Evangelic Lutheranian Church on the 30st December.

He was buried in Amsterdam on the Leiden cemetery the 8 October 1760.

This information was published for the first time in Oud Holland by H. van Hall in 1956. Van Hall published in this journal some archive notes from which these dates could be deducted.

Most elder lexicons gave false dates, which were copied form older publications.

These wrong dates can still be found in auction catalogues.

Adam Silo married when he was 21. His profession was ‘gouddraadtrekker’ a person who has to make gold-thread out of solid gold.

Afterwards he became schipbuilder and sea-captain.

The unknown Th. Van Pees taught him how to paint when he was around 30.

Adam Silo was an inventive and versatile man who also made instruments and prints. Traditionally Peter the Great learned during his stay in Amsterdam from Adam Silo how to build ships. After all The Hermitage in St Petersburg possesses 18 pictures by the master.    

Adam Silo painted only seascapes. Several of his pictures were ascribed to Abraham Storck in the past due to the same initials.

This picture is a typical Adam Silo painted in his usual pointed style.

The Jetty and small ships on the foreground make a peaceful composition, this in contrast to his busy pictures with many ships.

Silo must have been very satisfied with this picture which he signed in full ASilo instead of the usual AS.