The battle is depicted at about 3pm, and shows the ‘Eendracht’ blowing up. The wind is south-west, and the fleets are standing in two lines to the South-South East close-hauled on the starboard tack, the Dutch leeward.

In the left foreground, there is a confused piece of drawing showing Lawson’s flag (‘Lauson’) and Berkeley (‘barckleij’) with a ship ahead, leading the English line; the ‘Oranje’ bearing up on Berkeley’s lee bow (‘tschip Oranjie moet wijcken’). Close astern of Berkeley, is the Duke of York in the ‘Royal Charles’ (ducke).

In the centre middle distance, the ‘Eendract’ is shown blowing up. Astern of the red squadron and strtching back into the centre distance are Teddiman (tijdeman teddeman), Sandwich (zantwits), Ayscue (askuij vis) of the blue squadron, and Sansum (simson), Rupert (de p Robert) and Myngs (wits visd…/mints) of the white.

At the centre of the Dutch line are Tromp (tromp) abd van der Hulst (van de hulst) with Jan Evertsen (ad Jan everts) close to leeward; in the rear, Kortenaer (kortenaer) and Stellingwerf (stellingwerf). The Dutch to leeward of their line are Cornelis Evertsen (co reverts / ad co everts), Banckert (banckert) and in the distance Coenders (Jo koenders).

In the right forground, a galjoot in the wind, mainsail brailed up.

The drawing is inscribed on the reverse in ink in the Younger’s hand (perhaps much later), ‘batalies op een hoghe orisont Longues / vant Jaer 1665 die van Koningh karols donde warden gemaeckt' (? Battles with a high horizon since the year 1665 were drawn but for King Charles). This inscription may have been written some years later.

The drawing is a design for a tapestry in the same manner as the drawings of the battle of the Texel in the NMM’s collection, as well as being on the same paper as two of them. It seems unlikely that the van de Velde’s ever made any high horizon drawingsuntil they began making designs for tapestries, which would not have been until they settled in England.