The Dutch fleet is depicted lying-to off Terschelling soon after nine o’clock in the morning for the captains to go on board the flagship for orders. In the left middle distance is a view of the ‘Eendracht’ with boats under her stern and others making for her. In the centre there is a rear-admiral, stern view, and right in the foreground another ship, also in stern view, with a view of a town on her tafferel, presumably the ‘Stavoren’. There is a galjoot between these two ships and further to the right there is another ship, possibly the small ‘Eendracht’. Other ships which are recognizable are the ‘Gouden Leeuw’, ‘Kogge’, ‘Zon’, ‘Halve Maan’, and ‘Waag’.

The drawing is inscribed ‘daer den Admierael pesiaert & de saloupen/ aen boort om ordre te geven wat gedaen (?moest) & de twee esquadre verdeelt den 17 october 1658/waer vlagge & wimples gevoert sullen warden’ (As the admiral called a council-of-war and the boats went to the flagship to receive orders about the division of the two squadrons, and where flags and pennants were to be flown, 17 October 1658). There is also an inscription on the reverse of the drawing ‘6 (altered from 8) van derdalft vell’ (No.6 of the series on two and a half sheets).

The numbered series of drawings begins with seven in various collections – the Duke of Northumberland, the Scheepvaart Museum, Amsterdam, Atlas van Stolk, Rotterdam, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the British Museum, and continues with others in the NMM (PAJ2527and PAJ2583) and in other British and European Collections.

Van Wassenaer took over command of the Dutch fleet in the Vlie between 12-22 September 1658. Van de Velde may have joined the fleet at this time, but the first drawing to be made with any certainty was made between 20-30 September.