The Capture of Damiate
The Capture of Damiate
The Capture of Damiate
By Cornelis Claesz van Wieringen
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The Capture of Damiate
The Capture of Damiate
The Capture of Damiate
In this painting, a ship from Haarlem breaks the chain protecting the Egyptian port of Damietta: a legendary moment from the Crusade of 1219. The Haarlem Calivermen ordered this painting for the mantelpiece of the captain’s room to commemorate Haarlem’s heroic past. The rather clumsy placement of the ships in the water (it looks as if they are floating on the water rather than lying in it) and the patchy sunlight here and there are typical of Cornelis van Wieringen. He also designed a tapestry of this story for the Haarlem town hall, where it still hangs.