| omschrijving | This painting probably relates to the Battle of Texel. This was the last fleet action of the Dutch Wars, and the last attempt of the Anglo-French fleet to destroy the Dutch and make way for a seaborne invasion of Holland. No major unit was lost on either side. Although there are some inaccuracies in the painting, it relates to the moment when a British ship has lost her mast. The ship could either be the 'Charles', 96 guns, under the command of Rear-Admiral Sir John Chicheley, commander of the red squadron, or the 'Royal Prince', 100 guns, under Admiral, Sir Edward Spragge who commanded the blue squadron. The ship flies the red ensign and erroneously flies a Union flag. The inaccuracy of date and depiction may be the fault of the artist or the result of later over-painting. The listing ship to the far left, suggests the British 'Royal Sovereign', 100 guns, the flagship of the Admiral and Commander-in-Chief, Prince Rupert.
The action between the British ships, left and background, and the Dutch ship on the right is played out by the small craft in the foreground. In the small boats, men attack each other with oars, daggers or cutlasses, demonstrating the ferocity and destruction enacted by the men-of-war. Exhausted sailors are hauled out of the water into small boats and among the debris in the water several floating hats emphasize the human element of battle. Most of the small boats have come from British ships, but the boat portrayed in broadside bears the coat of arms of Amsterdam. Thus one Dutch ship is fighting off the British, and imitating the main action taking place behind. The artist has placed his name on the side of the small boat in the foreground and the date on the stern above the tiller. The Dutch ship on the right, is thought to be the 'Gouden Leeuw', Tromp's first flagship at the Battle of Texel, although she appears to be flying the fighting ensign of Ostend at the stern. The dismantled ship on the left, is possibly the 'Royal Prince', Spragge's first flagship. The picture was, however, painted 12 years after the event.
The artist was initially a calligrapher in his native Germany before moving to Amsterdam. There, he was inspired by the grisaille drawings of van de Velde the Elder. Later, he was introduced to marine painting in oils in the studios of van Everdingen and Dubbels. He was a contemporary of van de Velde the Younger and shared with him a concern for painting ships with accuracy and understanding.
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