Jan Lievens: Portrait of Lieutenant-Admiral Maerten Harpertsz Tromp (1640-1653)

(Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

Another famous Dutch admiral from the 17th century. Maerten Tromp saw active service in the period 1607–1653. His most famous victory is Battle of the Downs, 21 October 1639, during the Dutch war of independence (1568-1648). In this battle, a Spanish armada of about 80 ships was almost completely destroyed by the Dutch fleet - only a small number of Spanish ships survived the destruction. This battle marked the end of Spanish naval power and the start of Dutch naval power. Maerten Tromp himself was killed in action during the first Anglo-Dutch war at the Battle of Scheveningen, 31 July 1653. This painting is from the period 1640 - 1653.