Artwork

The Dutch Burn English Ships during the Expedition to Chatham, 20 June 1667 (Raid on the Medway)

The Dutch Burn English Ships during the Expedition to Chatham, 20 June 1667 (Raid on the Medway) is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Jan van Leyden. It dates from 1667 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The painting depicts the Raid on the Medway, the Dutch naval assault on English ships anchored at Chatham on 20 June 1667.

The painting depicts the Raid on the Medway, the Dutch naval assault on English ships anchored at Chatham on 20 June 1667. As a marine subject, it captures the moment of the Dutch attack, with boats shown among the burning vessels, conveying the chaos and destruction of the English fleet during this episode of the Second Anglo-Dutch War.

The work functions as a visual record of a pivotal Dutch military triumph, in which Dutch forces sailed up the Medway and destroyed or captured a large portion of the English navy. By portraying the burning ships and the boats involved in the raid, the painting commemorates Dutch naval power and the humiliation of the English at the close of the war, themes that resonated strongly with a Dutch audience in the immediate aftermath of the 1667 campaign.

Technique & Style

The work is executed in oil paint on a wooden panel, a support typical of seventeenth-century Dutch marine painting. The composition measures 93 cm in height by 156.5 cm in width, giving it a broad horizontal format suited to the panoramic depiction of the Raid on the Medway.

Stylistically, the painting belongs to the marine genre, with the wide aspect ratio supporting a sweeping view of the burning English ships and surrounding boats along the water. The horizontal emphasis and the focus on ships at sea reflect the conventions of Dutch marine art of the period.

History & Provenance

The painting is dated 1667, aligning with the event it depicts, the Dutch Raid on the Medway during the Second Anglo-Dutch War. It was created by Jan van Leyden, a Dutch marine painter known for documenting contemporary naval engagements.

The work entered the collection of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, where it remains held. No further provenance details prior to its museum accession are recorded in the cited sources.

Overview

Jan van Leyden’s 1667 oil on canvas records the Dutch raid on England’s Medway River during the Second Anglo‑Dutch War. The composition captures a tumultuous naval engagement, with burning warships, billowing smoke and a shoreline fortification. The work is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection and exemplifies seventeenth‑century marine painting.