Despite its prominent setting off dover castle the present painting in fact commemorates the royal visit of charles ii and his brother, james duke of york, lord high admiral of the fleet, to h. M. S. Triumph at the buoy of the nore, near sheerness, in 1665. The king and his brother, along with the two fleet commanders, prince rupert and the earl of albermarle, gathered on board in order to interview the ship's captain, sir edward spragge, who had valuable information from a well-placed spy in france. The event is confirmed by both the identity of the principal ship, and the flags flying from her fore, main and mizzen masts. Not only does she fly the royal standard from her main, but the ship is also flying the red and gold anchor flag of the lord high admiral at the fore which indicates, pre-1690, that both the king and his brother are on board ship. The union flag at the mizzen indicates the presence of another important personage, such as a fleet commander like prince rupert or the duke of albermarle, and their combination here prescribes this a council-of-war involving the most important individuals in the kingdom. Object Type: painting. Date: between 1671 and 1672. Dimensions: height: 120.5 cm (47.4 in); width: 174 cm (68.5 in). Medium: oil on canvas. Jacob Knyff - HMS Triumph with Charles II and James, Duke of York on board and three Royal Yachts near Dover
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