The marriage journey of William of Orange and Princess Mary to Holland, 1677. The yachts reaching the coast of Holland, 29 November - 9 December...
Image information
The marriage journey of William of Orange and Princess Mary to Holland, 1677. The yachts reaching the coast of Holland, 29 November - 9 December 1677.
This drawing shows a weather quarter view of four yachts close-hauled on the starboard tack off the Dutch coast. On the left is a lee quarter view of one bearing up. The Dutch escort is in the right distance and the English escort is firing a parting salute on the left horizon. An inscription in brown ink has been pasted on the bottom incorrectly and should refer to the yachts as follows, from left to right: uninscribed, probably the 'Portsmouth'; the 'Charlotte' ('de siarlett') with a standard at the masthead; the 'Charles' ('de siarles'), partly covered by the next, the 'Katherine' ('de katarijne'); the 'Mary ('de Marije') with a standard at the masthead. The 'Liefde' ('de liefde'), flagship of the Dutch squadron is in the right background and 'de grahont' ('Greyhound'). An English sixth-rate, is named on the right but not shown. The drawing also bears an inscription copied in ink by van de Velde over pencil '[? 48 erased] al syllende Langs de kust van hollant de schepen van oorlog / nemen verre int verschiet zijnde haer afscheijt ende adieu kanoneeren' (Sailing along the coast of Holland, the men-of-war far in the distance fire a farewell salute). There is a further English inscription in a later hand on the back.
The Elder van de Velde did a series of at least fifty-six drawings of the journey of William of Orange and Princess Mary to Holland, with his son later painting a view of the yachts lying off Erith (NMM BHC0322). He may have done many from the yacht 'Kitchen', which is notably missing from all of them, but was under the orders of Captain Gunman who commanded the 'Mary', since in January 1678 the latter wrote to Sir Joseph Williamson, Secretary of State, recommending van de Velde as 'the person who drew all the sea skipps [seascapes] on board the 'Mary' yacht
Willem van de Velde, the Elder
Original size: 291 mm x 554 mm
- Image reference: PY3917
- National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
Discover more
More by this artist
Search for similar images
Product images of The marriage journey of William of Orange and Princess Mary to Holland, 1677. The yachts reaching the coast of Holland, 29 November - 9 December 1677.
Our prints
We use a 240gsm fine art paper and premium branded inks to create the perfect reproduction.
Our expertise and use of high-quality materials means that our print colours are independently verified to last between 100 and 200 years.
Read more about our fine art prints.
Manufactured in the UK
All products are printed in the UK, using the latest digital presses and a giclée printmaking process.
We only use premium branded inks, and colours are independently verified to last between 100 and 200 years.
Delivery & returns
We print everything to order so delivery times may vary but all unframed prints are despatched within 2-4 days via courier or recorded mail.
Due to the coronovirus pandemic and Brexit situation, current shipping times may be longer, particularly for destinations outside the UK.
Delivery to the UK is £5 for an unframed print of any size.
We will happily replace your order if everything isn’t 100% perfect.