The drawing depicts a French ship built in Holland 1666-7 and bears the fragment of an inscription ‘…els’. The ship is viewed from the starboard quarter. On the tafferel (the upper part of the stern) are the crowned arms of France and Navarre, three fleur-de-lys impaled with an escarbuncle surrounded by the emblems of the Order of St. Michael and Saint Esprit. This is held by small angel supporters standing on one foot blowing trumpets over four small windows. On the rail above, between floral decoration, there is a seated crowned figure, possibly representing Aeolus, and on the quarters (the curved part of the vessel near the stern) figures holding shields with tritons riding on unicorns below.

This is an unsigned faint offset by the Elder, worked up with pencil and a wash. The work is not in reverse and is rubbed on the back. It has been approximately dated by the subject and watermark.