(Haarlem circa 1576–1633)
Man-o-war at anchor,
traces of a signature lower left: W,
oil on panel, 50 x 84 cm, framed

We are grateful to Luuk Pijl for confirming the attribution in full. A certificate is available.

The present painting depicts a battleship that carries an unusual combination of flags. The “Jack”, flown at the foremast, is the well-known striped flag of the United Provinces, whilst on the mainmast the lion of Holland can be seen. The ensign at the stern would appear to be the Danish flag, but may also be seen in the context of a crusade. Van Wieringen painted the most popular picture of the Damiaatjes legend of Haarlem, showing how a Haarlem ship broke the protective chain at Domyat, Egypt, during the fifth crusade, which resulted in an important victory over the Moors. This painting was such a success that it was reordered in the form of a tapestry. Both pieces are now in the collection of the Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem. The present painting might equally allude to the fifth crusade (see R. J. W. M. Brand, Bedreven in de konst van schepen ende see De Marineschilderkunst van Cornelis Claesz. van Wieringen, in: Antiek, 30, 1995, pp. 201–3).

Van Wieringen was born and died in Haarlem. He was the son of a Haarlem captain and drew, painted, and etched in the company of his friends, Hendrick Goltzius and Cornelis van Haarlem. He also held important positions in the Haarlem Guild of Saint Luke, the local painter’s guild, where he had become a member in 1597. Van Wieringen specialised in paintings of ships and sea battles, receiving commissions from the municipal councils of Haarlem and Amsterdam (see J. Giltaij and J. Kelch, Lof der Zeevaart, De Hollandse Zeeschilders van de 17e eeuw, Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam 1996/97, pp. 108/9). The City of Haarlem archives still hold the original records of the 1629 order to Van Wieringen to design the tapestry, the largest made in the seventeenth century (10.75 meters long and 2.40 metres high). This tapestry is still installed in its original place on the wall of the council meeting room, known as the Vroedschapskamer, at the Haarlem Town Hall. It is on public display once a year on Monument Day.