Plan of the stern showing the midship section. Van de Velde’s arms are depicted on the oval tafferel, with lion supporters.

This is a pencil drawing by the Younger strengthened with pen and brown and grey ink. It has been signed ‘W.V.VJ’ in dark brown ink.

This is one of ten sketch plans of a small Dutch-type bezan yacht, which the Younger was designing for himself. They are identified by the coat of arms, as a similar arms surrounded by the initials ‘W.V.VJ’ was found in the form of a seal impressed on the stretcher of a painting in the Ingram Collection.

The date of the drawings is uncertain; the style might be as late as 1700 and the apparently English inscription ‘op sij dun’ (? upside down) on PAF6571 is on paper the Van de Veldes used in 1665, and the form of the signature is as early as this. This work and PAH1853, however, are on paper the Van de Veldes used in 1675. A drawing in the collection of D.G. van Beuningen at Vierhouten has an Italian watermark not usually found in England before 1680.

It is possible that Van de Velde planned originally to build a yacht while he was with the Dutch and he revived his scheme when he came to England. It is unlikely that she was ever built as designed because she cannot be recognised in any paintings and drawings. There is, however, a boeier yacht shown in a painting in the National Gallery (978) having the monogram ‘W V V’ in the pendant at the stern as in the drawing at Vierhouten.