History of the Solebay Tapestry | The Art of the Van De Veldes

#AntiqueRoyal"In May 1672, off the coast of Southwold Bay in Suffolk, a Dutch artist called Willem van de Velde the Elder took up position in a small boat.

He was about to bear witness to carnage.

Surrounding him were hundreds of warships. A Dutch fleet had sailed to engage a combined force of English and French ships, and Van de Velde was there to document the action.

The engagement became known as the Battle of Solebay. While both sides claimed victory, the outcome remained inconclusive.

The drawings Van de Velde made however would go on to shape how the battle was perceived, and eventually inspire a series of giant tapestries depicting the course of the conflict.

One of these tapestries is now in the collections of Royal Museums Greenwich. Find out more about the long, curious history of the Solebay Tapestry with curator Imogen Tedbury and lead researcher Maya Wassell Smith."