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Eighty Years War (Dutch War of Independence) (1568-1648)

Contemporary prints and maps of the battles and sieges of the Eighty Years War

? FLORIS BALTHASARSZ. VAN BERCKENRODE (1562/3-1616)

Battle of Nieuwpoort, 1600

c.1624

Engraving and etching; printed from two copperplates on two sheets of paper, joined; mounted on paper (Mount Type not known) | 29.5 x 88.0 cm (image and sheet) | RCIN 721100

A low oblique view of the early stages of the Battle of Nieuwpoort, fought on 2 July 1600 between the Dutch, commanded by Maurice of Nassau, and the Spanish Habsburg army, commanded by Albert VII, Archduke of Austria(13 November 1559-13 July 1621), Governor of the Spanish Netherlands, and Francisco de Mendoza, Admiral of Aragón (bap.21 August 1550-1 March 1623), Commander-in-Chief of the Habsburg army of Flanders, resulting in a Dutch victory. The Eighty Years War (Dutch War of Independence) (1568-1648). Oriented with north-north-west to top (compass rose).  

See the notes to RCIN 721099. This view of the early stages of the battle, before the Spanish army moved up into the dunes around 13.00 hours, names the nationalities of the armies and identifies the regiments of both sides by name; the Dutch ammunition fleet is shown offshore.

The left hand sheet is lettered ‘A’ in the bottom left corner, and the right sheet is lettered ‘B’, bottom, in the space below the words ‘De Strang’. The print lacks any accompanying text to explain the letters which identify regiments on the right hand plate. The Rijksmuseum example (RP-P-OB-77.712) is attributed to Floris Balthararsz. van Berckenrode and is an earlier state, lacking the letters ‘A’ and ‘B’ on the left and right hand plates respectively.

An example of this state of the view (721100) was included in Hendrik Hondius, Korte beschryvinge, ende af-beeldinge van de generale regelen der Fortificatie, de Artillerie, Munition, ende Vivres, van d Officieren der selver en hare Commissien, Van de Leger-Aerde Wallen, de Approchen met het Tegen-weer, ender van Vyerwercken door Henricus Hondius. Hagae-Comitis 1624 (Internationaal Instituut voor Sociale Geschiedenis, Amsterdam, call no AB M 96 Special Editions Academy Library)

Another copy of the book is in Leiden University (Leiden UB, 415 A 13) in which the print is between pages 50-51.

  • ? Floris Balthasarsz. van Berckenrode (1562/3-1616) (printmaker)

    Hugo Grotius (1583-1645) (author)

    ? Hendrik Hondius I (1573-1650) (publisher)

  • Watermark: Indistinct: shield with crown above, a lamb or other animal inside, the letters 'I P G' in a box underneath; countermark: a bunch of grapes with a crown above

    Condition: one fold line. Verso: Remains of Mount Type A or B; no gilt edges

  • 29.5 x 88.0 cm (image and sheet)

  • Printed title:

    None

    Additional text:

    [two verses in Latin by Hugo Grotius; in decorative cartouche, top left, text begins:] Nostra cohors portum dum transit … [in a decorative cartouche, top, right of centre, text begins:] Tempus adest pugnæ; poscunt sibi prælia dextras …

    Annotations: 

    George III heading: Nieuport 2 July 1600.

    Other annotations: none.

    George III catalogue entry:

    Nieuport Tabula Prœlii prope Neoportum commissi, 2 Julii 1600. 2 tab.

  • Subject(s)

    Nieuwpoort, Flanders, Belgium (51°07'48"N 02°45'04"E)

  • Bibliographic reference(s)

    M. McDonald, The Print Collection of Cassiano dal Pozzo. Part II, Architecture, Topography and Military Maps, 3 vols, London 2019, cat. no. 2743

Page revisions

  • 14 March 2024