The Tapestries—The Battle of Solebay, 1672 Two wall tapestries depicting the Battle of Solebay in 1672 stem from a royal commission to Willem van de Velde the Elder. Recently acquired by the Scheepvaartmuseum, these tapestries are one of the highlights of the exhibition and mark the significance of shared Anglo-Dutch heritage. After he settled in Greenwich, Van de Velde the Elder adapted his original drawings for the design of a series of tapestries as part of two royal commissions: the first by King Charles II in ca. 1672, and the second series at the request of King James II in 1685. They were woven by Thomas Poyntz at the Mortlake Tapestry Works near London. The largest tapestry (at right), measuring an impressive 20 x 10 feet in size, depicts the formation of the fleets preceding the battle. The second tapestry depicts a successful Dutch fireship attack on the Earl of Sandwich’s imposing English flagship Royal James. The National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam purchased the two tapestries in January 2020, constituting the largest acquisition in the history of the museum. The museum reports that they are the last two pieces from the series that will ever appear on the market. The other four tapestries are in the collections of museums in the United States and are not currently on display.
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SEA HISTORY 177, WINTER 2021–22