Michiel de Ruyter as Lieutenant-Admiral

Ferdinand Bol's portrait of Michiel de Ruyter as Lieutenant-Admiral from 1667, in Het Scheepvaartmuseum, depicts the greatest Dutch naval hero at the height of his fame following his spectacular victories in the Second Anglo-Dutch War. De Ruyter's audacious raid up the Medway in 1667, which destroyed part of the English fleet, was the Dutch Republic's most celebrated military triumph. Bol's portrait captures the admiral's combination of personal modesty and professional authority that made him beloved by both the Dutch public and his sailors.

Bol renders de Ruyter with a combination of formal grandeur and personal directness that reflects the admiral's character. The armor, the sea backdrop, and the commanding pose establish military authority while the honest, weathered face conveys the practical seamanship for which de Ruyter was renowned.