Landing of William III at Carrickfergus, 14 June 1690

The painting shows King William in a barge about to land at Carrickfergus Castle in the middle of the picture at the start of a campaign in which he successfully regained control of Ireland from the Catholic supporters of the deposed King James II. The roofs of Carrickfergus can be glimpsed beyond the castle wall. In the right foreground is Shovell's squadron with his flagship, the 'Monck' the large ship on the right flying the blue flag. It is surrounded by the yachts that brought the king and his suite. In the centre, the yacht 'Mary' still flies the Royal Standard although by this time the king had transferred to his barge shown rowing round to the harbour entrance at the left of the castle. The emphasis of the painting is on Shovell's ship and perhaps his involvement in the event. The picture is early English school owing much to van de Velde and probably contemporary. It was not done on the spot but probably used a print for the topographical reference point as it is likely the artist had never visited the town. The exact print from which the elevation of the town was taken has not yet been identified. The painting is from the Caird Collection.
English School