01 Classic Work of Art, Marine Paintings - With Footnotes, #52d

Cornelis Claesz van Wieringen, (c. 1576 – 29 December 1633) 

The Explosion of the Spanish Flagship during the Battle of Gibraltar, c. 1621

Oil on canvas

h 136.8cm × w 187cm.

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam 

On 25 April 1607, thirty Dutch ships took the Spanish fleet by surprise in the Bay of Gibraltar. The Spanish vessels, which posed a threat to Dutch trade, were destroyed. It was the first major Dutch victory at sea. The painter represented this victory in triumphant style, with the Spanish flagship exploding and dozens of crewmembers flying up into the air.

The exploding of the Spanish admiral ship during the sea battle at Gibraltar, 25 April 1607, at the moment the Spanish warship was rammed by a Dutch ship. People are thrown into the air by the explosion. In the foreground seafarers try to save themselves in sloops, others swim in the water. Probably painted as a test piece for the Great Battle of Gibraltar, commissioned by the Amsterdam Admiralty in 1622.  More about this painting

The Dutch admiral Van Heemskerk left some of his ships at the bay entrance to prevent the escape of any Spanish ships. Twenty from the Dutch fleet were ordered to focus on the Spanish galleons while the rest attacked the smaller vessels. Van Heemskerk was killed during the first approach on the Spanish flagship as a cannon ball severed his leg. The Dutch then doubled up on the galleons and a few of the galleons caught fire. One exploded due to a shot into the powder magazine. The Dutch captured the Spanish flagship but let it go adrift.

Following the destruction of the Spanish ships, the Dutch deployed boats and killed hundreds of swimming Spanish sailors. The Dutch lost 100 men including admiral Van Heemskerk. Sixty Dutch were wounded. Depending on the sources, most or all of the Spanish ships were lost and between 3500 and 4000 Spaniards killed or captured. Álvarez de Ávila was amongst the dead. More on the battle

Cornelis Claesz van Wieringen (c. 1576 – 29 December 1633) was a Dutch Golden Age painter. He was born and died in Haarlem. He was the son of a Haarlem captain

He specialized in paintings depicting ships and sea battles, and received orders from the municipal councils of Haarlem and Amsterdam. He painted the most popular picture of the Damiaatjes legend of Haarlem, showing how a Haarlem ship broke the protective chain at Domyat, Egypt during the Fifth Crusade, resulting in an important victory over Islam. This painting was such a success that it was reordered in tapestry form, and both pieces are in the collection of the Frans Hals Museum.

The city of Haarlem archives still hold the original records of the 1629 order to Van Wieringen to make the tapestry, the largest made in the 17th century (10.75 meters long and 2.40 meters high). This tapestry still hangs on the wall of the Haarlem City Hall council meeting room known as the vroedschapskamer, where it was installed. It is on public display once a year on Monument Day. More on Cornelis Claesz van Wieringen

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