Baroque Nationalism: Dutch Seascapes, Landscapes and Maps

Battle of Gibraltar
Iyesha van den Haak
On 25 April 1607, thirty Dutch ships under the leadership of Admiral
Jacob van Heemskerck surprised the anchored Spanish fleet and
within four hours the entire Spanish fleet was destroyed. The Spanish
had been threatening the Dutch trade routes and this proved to be the
first great victory of the Eighty Years War (1568-1648) for the Dutch.
Four thousand Spaniards and a hundred Dutchmen were killed along
with the Dutch and Spanish Admirals.
The painting depicts the triumph of the victory with the explosion of
the Spanish flagship. Spaniards are being blown from their ship, body
parts are flying in the air, and the sea is turning red from the blood.
The enemy is Catholic which is evident from the falling angel and
Virgin Mary that are protective ornaments on the ship.
The Dutch and Spanish ships are shown converging at the center of
the image where the Spanish flagship is portrayed in quick and
immediate brush strokes. The color palette is cool blues and grays for
the sky and sea. There are intense reds, oranges, and yellows
indicating the heat of the flames on the ship and deep crimson for the
blood mixing with the water.