A Dutch Ship Engaged with Two Spanish Ships<br><p>A small painting showing a Dutch ship in the centre, in broadside port-view. She flies the Dutch flag and is engaging both the Spanish ships positioned behind her on her starboard side. She has already incurred some damage to her sails. Men on the deck can be seen with muskets engaging in close combat with the Spanish crews. Her guns are firing from the stern towards the Spanish ship on the right. The carved stern of the ship depicts the figure of a saint and her guns are returning the fire. Other shipping is shown in profile in the background to the left. 
</p><p>The artist worked in Amsterdam where he was burgomaster in 1642. He may have trained with the marine artist Claes Wou and is best known for panoramic battle scenes from the time of the Second Dutch War, 1665-67. The painting is signed 'P.V.S' on the spar of wood floating in the foreground to the left.<br></p>
A Dutch Ship Engaged with Two Spanish Ships
<bdi><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/en:Pieter_Cornelisz_van_Soest" class="extiw" title="w:en:Pieter Cornelisz van Soest"><span title="Dutch painter">Pieter Cornelisz van Soest</span></a>
</bdi>
mid-17th century
<a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/12308">http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/12308</a>