Sir Francis Drake (1540-1596), sea captain and circumnavigator of the world. Close detail of copperplate engraving, published in about 1746, by Dutch engraver, Jacobus Houbraken (1798 - 1780). In 1588, as Vice-Admiral of the English fleet, Drake defeated the Spanish Armada and thwarted an attempted invasion of England by King Philip II of Spain.
Copperplate engraving, published in about 1746, of Sir Francis Drake (1540-1596), English sea captain, privateer and circumnavigator of the world, by the Dutch engraver Jacobus Houbraken (1698-1780). On 17 June 1579, Drake landed on the coast of California and the location of the land he claimed for the English Crown is now a National Historic landmark, 'Drakes Bay'. In 1588, as Vice-Admiral of the English fleet, Drake defeated the Spanish Armada and thwarted an attempted invasion of England by King Philip II of Spain. The complete engraving includes details relating to Drake's life and career, including a sea battle in progress, a trident, a ship's mast, cannon, an anchor and, surmounting the portrait, a crown, decorated with the sterns of sailing ships. The engraving comes from 'The Heads of Illustrious Persons of Great Britain', written by Thomas Birch and illustrated with portraits printed from copperplate engravings by Houbraken and his English colleague, George Vertue, published in parts in London between 1743 and 1752. Houbraken was born in Dordrecht in the Netherlands and devoted his working life to portraiture, collaborating with Dutch historians and publishers to produce illustrated biographies of the Netherlands' most celebrated figures. He died in Amsterdam at the age of 81, but his legacy of more than 400 portrait engravings survives as an invaluable reference source for modern historians.
Size: 3873px × 5809px
Location: UK
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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