Johannes Christiaan Schotel, (Dordrecht, 11 November 1787 - there, 21 December 1838), was a Dutch painter.

Life and work: Johannes Christiaan Schotel was a painter who devoted himself entirely to the painting of maritime subjects. Ships at sea in particular were the subject of his paintings. His specialty was the display of ships, rigging and people against an often ominous background of sky and water. Before the nineteenth century, Schotel was probably the most important marine painter.

Johannes Christiaan was born in Dordrecht as the son of a factory owner. He was supposed to succeed his father in this. Early on, however, it became clear that he had talent for drawing, as early as 1805 he was registered as a member of the Dordrecht "Teekengenootschap Pictura". In 1808, Schotel took lessons from Martinus Schouman, then a well-known marine painter, but it soon became clear that the Schotel's talents would outstrip those of his master The work of JC Schotel was a continuation of the tradition of the Dutch seventeenth century marine painters such as Willem van de Velde the Elder and Ludolf Bakhuyzen.

Johannes Christiaan married Petronella Elisabeth van Steenbergen. Some of their children would continue in art. His son Petrus Johannes Schotel, born in 1808, followed in his footsteps as a sea painter, daughter Christina Petronella Schotel (1818-1854) was a painter of still lifes. Son Gillis Dionysius Jacobus Schotel became a minister in Brabant. Johannes Christiaan Schotel died at the age of 51 in Dordrecht.