Council of War on the Zeven Provinciën, 10 June 1666. By Willem van de Velde I, 1666. On board Michiel de Ruyter's flagship (right) the commanders of the Dutch warships meet for a council of war. The signal for the gathering is the white flag on the stern. The flag and pennant on the main mast indicate that this is the admiral's ship. The council took place on 10 June 1666, the eve of the Four Days Fight, a major engagement of the Second Anglo-Dutch War against a combined French and English fleet. Willem van de Velde specialised in maritime pen paintings. To be able to portray this battle he sailed for a period with De Ruyter's fleet.