The Battle of Medway c. 1668
painting, oil-paint
baroque
painting
oil-paint
landscape
river
oil painting
cityscape
history-painting
Willem Schellinks' "The Battle of Medway" (c. 1668) depicts the English naval defeat by the Dutch in 1667, an event known as the Raid on the Medway. The painting, housed in the Rijksmuseum, captures the chaos of the battle with dramatic brushstrokes and an expansive landscape. The viewer’s gaze is drawn towards the center of the painting, where the smoke from the battle fills the sky, symbolizing the devastation of the event. The painting exemplifies the Dutch Golden Age's interest in historical battles, and its grand scale and atmospheric details captivated contemporary audiences.
Comments
In June 1667 English troops assembled at the town of Rochester on the River Medway, after news reached London that a Dutch fleet commanded by Michiel de Ruyter was heading towards the naval dockyards at Chatham. There was little, however, that they could do. Down river several English ships are on fire. De Ruyter took the English flagship the Royal Charles back to the Netherlands as war booty.
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