Episode from the Battle of the Sound between the Dutch and Swedish fleets, 8 November 1658

The painting was commissioned and executed by Willem van de Velde the Elder in 1660, as indicated by the artist’s date on the work and corroborated by the Rijksmuseum’s records.

It entered the collection of the Rijksmuseum shortly after its creation, where it has remained in continuous institutional ownership since at least the late nineteenth century.

The painting is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. While the specific inventory or accession number is not provided in the available records, the work is cataloged within the museum's holdings of marine art. The artwork was created in 1660 and depicts the naval engagement known as the Battle of the Sound.

No specific exhibition history is documented in the provided sources. The piece remains part of the permanent collection at the Rijksmuseum.

Created in 1660, this oil on canvas records the clash that took place on 8 November 1658 between Dutch and Swedish fleets during the First Northern War. The composition fills the picture plane with tightly grouped vessels, many bearing the orange‑white Dutch ensign and others the Swedish colors, all caught in a tumult of fire, broken masts and splintered hulls.

The Battle of the Sound was a decisive encounter in which the Dutch fleet intervened to keep Swedish forces from dominating the crucial maritime passage between the Baltic and North Seas. The painting reflects contemporary Dutch interest in asserting naval superiority and safeguarding trade routes, themes that resonated in a period marked by frequent maritime conflict.