Paul Jean Clays (1819–1900) was a prominent Belgian painter most celebrated for his marine paintings. Born in Bruges, Clays trained in Paris under the notable Horace Vernet and the marine artist Jean-Antoine Théodore Gudin. Clays quickly developed a deep affinity for the life and atmosphere of riverbanks and ports, eventually specializing in scenes along the Scheldt River and the Thames.

Distinguishing himself from his Romantic predecessors, Clays brought a new realism and tranquility to maritime art, focusing less on dramatic storms and more on the poetic calm of river estuaries and busy harbors. His work was widely acclaimed during his lifetime; he won medals at the Paris Salon and the Exposition Universelle, and was inducted as a member of the Société Libre des Beaux-Arts in 1868. Clays’ career is noted for releasing marine painting from historical conventions, instead portraying the meditative beauty and rhythmic routines of waterside life.