Jan Abrahamsz. Beerstraten

(Amsterdam 1622-1666)

The Royal yacht Mary in the Thames, August 1660

Footnotes

Provenance
Collection of John Turner Welles Sargent ('Turner Sargent') (1814-1877), Boston, MA, and thence by descent to
His cousins, the Misses Welles, and thence by descent to
Their niece, Jessie Fay Sargent (Mrs Francis Sargent) (1916-2008), Dover, Delaware
Sale, Skinner, Boston, 14 May 2004, lot 18 (as attributed to Jan Abrahamsz Beerstraten, sold for $14,500)
With David Koetser Gallery, Zurich, 2005, where acquired by
Mr and Mrs Anthony Inder Rieden
Collection of a Family Trust

Literature
G. de Beer, The Golden Age of Dutch Marine Paintings. The Inder Rieden Collection, Leiden, 2019, vol. 3, pp. 744-757, cat. no. 47, ill

This historic painting records the arrival in the Thames of a yacht, the first of its kind in England, made as a gift from the Dutch to King Charles II in 1660. This style of vessel was unknown here before that date, the name yacht being derived from the Dutch jag(h)t-schip which means 'speeding ship' or 'hunting ship'. The event shown in Beerstraten's painting is bound up in the immediate aftermath of the Restoration of the English monarchy: Charles II, having lived in exile at Breda during the Commonwealth in a castle belonging to the House of Orange, began making his way back to England in May of 1660 to reclaim the throne of England. He was accompanied by his two brothers, James, Duke of York and Henry, Duke of Gloucester as well as his sister Mary, widow of William II, Prince of Orange and after whom the yacht was later named. On the first day of their journey they arrived at Moerdijk in southern Holland where they were given a ceremonial welcome, and a group of 13 of the States' yachts were put at their disposal for the onward journey. Charles travelled in the Willem II, Prinsenjacht, which had been built for Prince Frederick Henry in 1647 and which greatly impressed him with its speed and comfort. When he announced that he wished to build a similar ship for himself, the Amsterdam burgomaster, Cornelis van Vlooswijck, proposed the generous gift of a yacht that was almost as large and comfortable as the one he was on. Contemporary records tell us that the city of Amsterdam sanctioned his proposal a few days later. The vessel that was earmarked was still on the stocks in the boatyard, probably originally intended for use by the Dutch East India company, but was immediately diverted for this new purpose and work began to fit her out in a manner that reflected the status of her new intended owner.

Meanwhile Charles's retinue travelled on with much fanfare to Dordrecht, Rotterdam, Delft and the Hague where they were greeted by the nine year old Prince William of Orange, the future William III of England. Then at Scheveningen the party boarded English warships to cross the Channel.

The survival of the bill of sale allows us a remarkable understanding of what was involved in preparing the Mary for a royal recipient, both in terms of the furnishings and equipment with which she was fitted out and in the substantial costs that this involved. She was 22 meters in length, carvel built and was sumptuously decorated with leather wall coverings, gilded limewood carvings, flags of silk and with much of her metal work gilded, including the ship's bell, her lanterns and compasses. She was also fitted with a figurehead in the form of a rearing unicorn in copper. There is no record of paintings, but it is likely that there would have been commissions to decorate her walls. This was a ship on which no expense was spared and which was without question fit for a king. Once fully fitted she left for England on 12 August 1660, her departure a major event that was recorded in a painting by Willem van de Velde the Younger and his brother Adriaen, and after crossing to England she made her anchorage near London Bridge. On 25 August Charles went to see her, the occasion that Beerstraten has documented in this painting. The coach covering of the barge that is rowing out to the Mary displays the colours of the Union flag so it seems highly likely that the figure within is the King himself. Pepys records the day in his diary, noting that the King left Whitehall soon after dawn to see his 'Dutch pleasure-boat'. Charles dined on board, and in his letter of thanks written the following day he wrote that the 'yaugh' was one of the most pretty and agreeable gifts ('des plus jolys et des plus agréable') that anyone could have thought of. Clearly he was very pleased with his gift.

The Mary was to be the first of a long line of English yachts, Charles II and his brother James conducted the first English yacht race in 1661 on the Thames, starting a tradition that still continues today. She was used for state events until, when travelling between Dublin and Chester in 1675 with high-ranking officials on board, she hit rocks and broke up. The wreck lay undisturbed until 1971 when it was located by divers and over 1500 items were subsequently recovered from it, now housed in the Merseyside Maritime Museum, Liverpool. This remarkable painting recording the Mary's arrival in England must undoubtedly have been a specific commission from Beerstraten but sadly we do not know who ordered it. For years the true subject of it was unrecognised and its significance has only recently come to light after research, but it remains to commemorate a milestone in English maritime history.