Portrait of the 'Royal Sovereign'

Three rapid broadside sketches of the 'Royal Sovereign' after her launching. The upper one, a port view with the stumps of the masts, has been drawn in pencil, then worked over in pen and brown ink with a few corrections. The ship is without guns and several attempts have been made to get the correct waterline. The mainmast is too far back and the forward ports too far apart as noted on the back. The second (middle) sketch, a starboard view at the launching with five launching flags or staffs for them, is in brush and grey ink, strengthened with pen and brown ink: this also failed to get the ports to the artist's satisfaction. The head was also made too large and the stern too rounded. A third sketch (bottom) from slightly abaft the beam on the starboard side, without the flagstaffs, corrects these faults.

The drawing is inscribed in brown ink 'Roijal soverijn 1701'; in Indian ink 'keer' (turn over) and on the back in Indian ink 'Voor gedelte Van d poorte / naerder bij den ander in pro / spet sullen d maste te / beter oock plasse' (The foremost ports should be nearer together and also the masts better placed). The signature with a flourish on the first 'W' of 'W. V.V.J' is unusual but apparently genuine.

PAF7036 is a drawing of the quarter gallery of the 'Royal Sovereign'.
Willem van de Velde, the Younger

Original size: 455 mm x 286 mm