A print of the Four Days' Battle, the fiercest and largest engagement fought under sail during the Anglo-Dutch Wars. The battle took place between June 11 and 14, 1666. The Dutch fleet, under Admiral Michiel de Ruyter, hoped to aggressively show the English fleet led by George Monck, Duke of Albemarle, and Prince Rupert the newly refined Dutch military might. In the end, the English lost two leading commanders and the Dutch lost one leading commander and two junior flag officers. One-fifth of the English soldiers were killed, wounded, or taken prisoner whereas the Dutch casualty count was lower (although more Dutchmen were killed than the English). The outcome was largely inconclusive as both sides initially claimed victory, but it is now largely considered as a major Dutch tactical success.
The print is indexed A-G and 1-8 throughout the scene with corresponding captions in the key in the lower margin. The captions indicate the location of the leading admirals and several tactics. A brief description of the scene is in a floating scroll unfurled and adorned with military implements in the top left corner of the print.
The collector, Arthur H. Clark, used this print from his collection to illustrate his book 'The History of Yachting, 1600-1815' (New York & London: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1904), 16.
