Attributed to Peter Monamy (1681-1749), In the midst of batt...

Estimate

£2,500 - £4,000

Attributed to Peter Monamy (1681-1749), In the midst of battle, the Anglo-Dutch Wars, oil on canvas, 58cm x 75cm
NB: England and the Netherlands found themselves at war on three occasions within a short period of twenty years in the mid 17th Century, the underlying cause always being trade conflicts. The second Anglo-Dutch War began in 1665, the starting point of the war being the capture of a valuable Baltic convoy of English merchantmen on 20th May. Smarting from this loss the English, under James, Duke of York, the King's brother, put to sea immediately and the two enormous fleets met off Lowestoft on 3rd June. The Dutch gun ship Eendracht attacked York's flagship the ''Royal Charles'' in a duel of great ferocity and was on the verge of victory when a chance shot hit the Dutchman's powder magazine causing a huge explosion and subsequently sinking it with the loss of over four hundred men. The Dutch fleet immediately lost heart and began to retreat giving the Duke of York a decisive victory.