The Amsterdam Four-Master ‘De Hollandse Tuyn’ and Other Ships on their Return from Brazil under the Command of Paulus van Caerden

The return of Paulus van Caerden from Brazil, 1605, by Hendrick Cornelisz Vroom, early 17th century. Since the late 16th century, as the war with Spain continued, Dutch trade in the Atlantic had increasingly gone hand-in-hand with force of arms. Privateering and plunder of overseas possessions were tried and trusted methods. Admiral Paulus van Caerden commanded a fleet that harried the Brazilian coast. In the bay of Salvador (Bahia) he captured 3,000 cases of sugar. Vroom was commissioned for this painting by the Amsterdam Admiralty. In the foreground Van Caerden is welcomed back, having been brought ashore by barge. The flag ship, the Hollandsche Tuyn, is depicted in the centre. Not long after, this massive vessel was sold off, being unable to negotiate the shallows of the Zuiderzee.