Bonde Bonnichsen, Stemmild, Denmark
F. H. Ulrich, Dusseldorf (acquired by 1957)
Galerie Wilhelm Grosshennig, Dusseldorf (acquired by 1966)
Wilhelm Reinold, Hamburg (acquired from the above on 8th June 1966)
Private Collection, Hamburg (by descent from the above; sale: Christie's, London, 2nd February 2004, lot 30)
Purchased at the above sale by🥀 the late owner and thence by descent

Tønder, Tønder Museum, Emil Nolde, 1951, no. 31
Odense, Fyns Stiftsmuseum, Emil Nolde, 1956, no. 9
Kiel, Kunsthalle, Emil Nolde, 1956-57, no. 9

Artist's Handlist, 1910, no. 367, '1911 Holzeinschiffen III'
Artist's Handlist, 1930, '1911 Einschiffung'
Martin Urban, Emil Nolde, Catalogue Raisonné of the Oil Paintings, 1895-1914, London, 1987, vol. I, no. 453, illustrated p. 392

The canvas is not lined and there appear to be no signs of retouching visible under UV light. Apart from some craquelure, mainly to the centre of the canvas and to the left and right edges (visible in the catalogue illustration), this work is in very good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Einschiffung, painted in 1911, is part of Nolde's series of powerful and capturing seascapes which the artist began in 1910. The waves moving towards the rocks in the foreground are rendered in creamy blue, white and pink impasto brushstrokes, brilliantly juxtaposed by the horses pushing against the current. The strong contrasts between the blue, pink and white tones further enhance the invincible strength of the sea whilst at the same time adding a strong texture. The artist was preoccupied with the task of representing the sea as elemental force, often shown with scudding storm clouds or else bathed in an eerie half-light suggestive of an approaching storm (fig. 1).

Having grown up and spent much of his life in the German province of Schleswig-Holstein, Nolde was rarely out of sight or sound of the sea, which occupied an important place both in his imagination and in his work. His first studio erected during the summer months spent on the island of Alsen from 1903 onwards was a wooden hut on the very edge of the beach, so that he could observe the sea closely and at any time of the day in all its moods. Nolde states: 'Often, I stood at the window looking out at the sea for hours. There was nothing except water and sky. There was complete silence except for the occasional hushed ripple of the waves against the stones of the beach' (translated from German, quoted in Werner Haftmann, Emil Nolde, Cologne, 1978, p. 70). 

Comp:
347L10005_COMP_5MMJ4 
FIG. 1, Emil Nolde, Segler im Wind, 1910, oil on canvas, Hamburger K♛unsthalle, Hamburg