Exclusive Art Works

Dutch flagship, the Zeven Provinciën prior to the Four Days Battle in 1666

The Zeven Provinciën was the flagship of the great Dutch admiral, Michiel Adriaanszoon De Ruyter for the last half of the Second Anglo-Dutch War and for the entire Third Anglo-Dutch War.

We consider Admiral De Ruyter to be the greatest admiral of all time. He won the Four Days Battle, in 1666, and fought a series of battles in 1672 to 1673 that ultimately saved the Netherlands from invasion by the English and French, that would have probably have ended in the loss of independence for the Netherlands.

Michiel De Ruyter was a flag officer from 1652 until he died in 1676, at the age of 69. He fought in six battles in the First Anglo-Dutch War and two battles in the Second Anglo-Dutch War, in which he commanded the Dutch fleet. He also commanded the Dutch fleet in the Third Anglo-Dutch War, ending with the Battle of the Texel, where the Dutch actually defeated the combined Anglo-French fleet, and saved his country from invasion from the sea.

Michiel De Ruyter died after being wounded, for the first time in his life, in a battle in the Mediterranean Sea in 1676, at the age of 69.

The Brederode soon after completion in May, 1645

The ship is taking on stores, perhaps for her first operation, to push past the Danes into the Baltic, without paying a toll.

The Brederode was Vice-Admiral Witte de With's flagship for this operation. He commanded a fleet of about 46 ships that convoyed about 300 merchantmen. For this operation, the Brederode was armed with 51 guns.

The Brederode, from the original picture by Willem van de Velde the Elder, in 1645, as the poster and the colored drawing (on canvas, using acrylics and ink).

The Huis van Nassau, sailing from the Vlie on June 9, 1645

The ship, close in, at the edge of the painting is the Brederode. This is the fleet heading for the Sound, to convoy 300 merchant ships into the Baltic without paying the toll to the Danes.

As the Danish navy only had 15 ships, at this time, and the fleet commanded by Vice-Admiral Witte de With had 46 ships, the Danes let them pass without a fight.