Seventeenth-Century Dutch “Stranger Painter” Willem van de Velde the Elder and His Impact on British Maritime Art—Two Kings, the Netherland Marine Painters, and the Rise of the British Navy

On his return from exile, Charles II expanded his naval forces, which amplified British interest in marine-themed scenes. However, British artists lacked the skills to convey the nation’s seafaring excellence, so the king invited Willem van de Velde the Elder and his son to immigrate, and their talents set the standard for British marine art for the next two centuries.