The artist risked life and limb as an early ‘war reporter’, accompanying the Dutch navy fleet and experiencing naval battles up close. Onboard a ship he would make rapid sketches to record the actions of the fleet. He later used the sketches to prepare his highly detailed pen paintings on canvas or panel. He used this method in 1666 for his famous work Four Days’ Battle. In the winter of 1672, Van de Velde I travelled with his son Willem to England, where they worked as court artists painting sea vessels and battles, first for King Charles II and later for King James II. The artist continued to draw and make pen paintings until he was elderly.
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