Paul Jean Clays was born in Bruges on November 27th 1819.

Clays spent several years working at sea before becoming an artist. On moving to Paris, to pursue his ambitions, he became a student of renowned marine artists Baron Gudin and Horace Vernet. Like many marine painters of his generation his style is heavily influenced by the masters of the 17th Century and his subjects often recall that period.

In 1867 he was made Chevalier of the Legion of Honour. He died on February 10th, 1900, in Brussels where he had resided for many years.

Museums: Musées de Beaux Arts, Antwerp; Musée Royaux des Beaux Arts de Belgique, Brussels; Leicester Museums and Art Gallery; Graves Art Gallery, Sheffield; The Metropolitan Museum, New York; The National Gallery, London

Literature: Dictionary of Sea Painters, E.H.H. Archibald