The Dutch warship Dolphijn in a choppy sea with a smalschip and a kaag, with onlookers on the shore

In the 1660s, the Dolphijn was the most powerful ship in the Dutch Republic with its 84 guns, 475 sailors and 75 soldiers on board, and it made history as the flagship of Admiral-Lieutenant Willem Joseph Baron van Ghent (Winssen, Gelderland 1626-1672 Battle of Solebay). Under van Ghent's command, the Dolphijn took part in the Raid on the Medway (Tocht naar Chatham) in June 1667.

We are grateful to Gerlinde de Beer for confirming that the present work is an autograph replica of a composition that exists in several versions, whose early provenances have proved difficult to disentangle (written communication, 26 February 2026).