a studio. Following the accession of William III and Mary II as King and Queen of England, it appears that this facility was no longer provided, and by 1691 he was living in Sackville Street, now close to Piccadilly Circus. He died in London, and was buried in St James's Church, Piccadilly, at the south end of the street. A memorial to him and his son lies with in the church. Professional career He was the official artist of the Dutch fleet for a period, being present at the Four Days Battle, 1–4 June 1666, and the St James's Day Battle, 25 July 1666, to make sketches. In his work on the biographies of artists, Arnold Houbraken quotes Gerard Brandt's biography of Admiral Michiel de Ruyter, relating the anecdote where Willem van de Velde asked Admiral de Ruyter permission to have a galley row him around for a good view of the proceedings on the evening of the Four Days battle in 1666. He wasn't the only artist to paint the scenes of this battle, his son, Ludolf Bakhuysen and Pieter Cornelisz van Soest also made paintings of it. This act later was the reason that van Velde gained his marine commission in London. The date, 1672, commonly given for his entry into the service of Charles II of England, was at a time when the Dutch Republic was at war with England (Third Anglo-Dutch War). According to the inventory Bartholomeus van der Helst owned or stored many paintings by Van de Velde. They lived close to each other (near Nieuwmarkt) and must have been friends. References Bibliography Cordingly, David, The Art of the van de Veldes, introductory chapter, 1982 Piles, R. de & Buckeridge, B. The Art of Painting; & An Essay towards an English School, 3rd ed; 1754 Robinson, M.S., Van de Velde Drawings; 2 vols, 1958 and 1973 Robinson, M.S., The Paintings of the Willem van de Veldes; 2 vols, 1990 Gallery External links National Maritime Museum biography National Maritime Museum portal for their van de Velde drawings on line one of the largest collections, 1500 items of which 837 are illustrated. ArtCyclopedia list of his paintings on line National Portrait Gallery: Bainbrigg Buckeridge 1610s births 1693 deaths Dutch Golden Age painters Dutch male painters Artists from Leiden Dutch marine artists 17th-century Dutch painters Burials at St James's Church, Piccadilly