It is recorded as early as the 1620s that Verbeeck 'painted beautiful and accurate pictures of ships', a fact which is borne out by this drawing. It is also likely that he had made his reputation early in his career as a painting by him is recorded as being sold in 1616 when he was only in his 20s. The Scheepvaartmuseum in Amsterdam has in its collection a similar drawing of a Dutch ship by this artist who, it is recorded, often fell foul of the law and was something of a rebel. It is likely that he was born in about 1590 and died soon after 1637, the date of the last archive document which mentions him.