Portrait of the ‘Prins Hendrik’

An Amsterdam ship, possibly an Indiaman, of about 50-guns. It is viewed from the port quarter with, on the broadside, eleven guns on the gun deck, nine on the upper deck and on the quarterdeck. There is a full-length figure of a man holding a sword on the tafferel. On the rail above are the arms of Amsterdam supported by two lions. Three shields across the upper counter bear the arms of Overijssel, Holland and Gelderland. Two shields on the lower counter bear (port) the crossed anchors for the Admiralty of Amsterdam and (starboard) the quartered and inescutcheoned arms of Prince Hendrik.

This is not the ‘Prins Hendrik’ (1653), nor the ‘Prins Hendrik Casimir’ (1665), respectively of the Admiralties of the Maas and Friesland. It is identified by another offset from the same original, now in the Boymans Museum, Rottterdam (215-1139), which is inscribed ‘oudt prins henderick van amsterdam’ (the old ‘Prins Hendrik’ of Amsterdam). This is one of three tracings in the collection (this one in reverse) from accurate originals either by the Elder or Younger van de Velde. They have been approximately dated by the style. The other two are PAH1795 and PAH5017.

Object Details

ID: PAH3882
Type: Drawing
Display location: Not on display
Creator: Velde, Willem van de, the Elder
Vessels: Prins Hendrik [Dutch]
Date made: 1670?
People: Velde, Willem van de, the Elder
Credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, Caird Collection
Measurements: Mount: 324 mm x 488 mm