The life story of Johannes Koekkoek, third son of Johannes Hermanus, corresponds to the myth of the artist who died young and so gifted: painter of promising works, but tragically gone far too early, a bud broken flower. Johannes was the dead-painted successor of his father, bearer of his first name, and endowed with the same talent and feeling for painting sea and river views. Moreover, he had two older brothers who, with a preference for the landscape, were 'lost' to sea painting. Johannes' navies, still and poetic or stormy and savage, desire to see more panels of his hand, realizing that this is a difficult wish to fulfill, because his oeuvre is limited. Due to his early death, we will never know what his painting career and later work would have looked like. Would his style, theme and production have been consistent or full of unexpected twists? Would his oeuvre have become extensive, small, varied or one-sided? And would he have had children, artistically by nature and as talented artist as he was? Paintings by Johannes Koekkoek are very scarce. They are so rare that seeing one of his navies in reality can be considered a special experience.