While we wait for the court battle to continue I came across another battle that was waged with the Spainish on April 25th, 1607.
The painting by Dutch master Cornelis Claesz van Wieringen depicts the devastating defeat suffered by the Spanish fleet after it was surprised at anchor by Dutch warships.
The entire 21-ship Spanish fleet was sunk and 4000 men killed in the space of just four hours. The large, ocean-going Spanish galleons were no match for the smaller, nimbler Dutch vessels.
After the battle the Dutch deployed boats and killed hundreds of swimming Spanish sailors.
In the painting, Dutch sailors are seen shooting and bayoneting Spanish sailors as they cling to debris in the Bay of Gibraltar with the Rock as a backdrop.
In the background, figures can be seen on shore looking out at the horror at sea.
The auction catalogue published by London auctioneer Bonhams describes the battle as “a crucial event in the history of the Netherlands’ fight for independence against the Spanish.”
The work was completed in 1607 as a ‘modello’, or finished oil sketch, for a painting that the artist was commissioned to paint for Prince Maurits of Orange-Nassau.
The main painting now hangs in the Maritime Museum in Amsterdam.