Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. Jan Carel Josephus van Speyk (31 January 1802 – 5 February 1831) was a Royal Netherlands Navy officer who became a public hero in the Netherlands for his opposition to the Belgian Revolution. When the Belgian Revolution began, Van Speyk was given command of Gunboat No. 2. Van Speyk despised the Belgian independence movement, and he said he would rather die "than become an infamous Brabander".

Born in Amsterdam in 1802, Van Speyk was orphaned at the age of 10. When he was 18 years old, he joined the Royal Netherlands Navy and served in the Dutch East Indies from 1823 to 1825. He engaged in anti-piracy operations in Bangka and Java, which earned him the nickname "Terror of the Bandits".

On 5 February 1831, a gale blew his gunboat into the quay at the port of Antwerp. The Belgians quickly stormed his ship, demanding Van Speyk haul down the Dutch flag. Rather than surrender his ship, he fired a pistol (some versions say he threw a lighted cigar) into a barrel of gunpowder in the ship's magazine. According to legend he shouted, "I'd rather be blown up then". The number of Belgians killed is unknown, though it probably numbered in the dozens. Twenty-eight of his 31 crewmen also perished in the blast.

Eight days' after Van Speyk's death, the Netherlands declared a period of mourning. His remains were buried in the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam, where the remains of Dutch naval hero Michiel de Ruyter also are interred.

Van Speyk is regarded as a naval hero in the Netherlands. This resulted in a royal decree (Koninklijk Besluit number 81, 11 February 1833) issued by King William I pronouncing that as long as the Dutch Navy exists there will always be a ship named Van Speijk to preserve his memory. Seven ships of the Royal Netherlands Navy ships have carried this name, the latest being Van Speijk (F828) of 1994, a Karel Doorman-class frigate. Her predecessor, the frigate Van Speijk (F802), launched in 1965, was the lead ship of her own class. The mast of Van Speyk's ship is preserved at the Royal Netherlands Naval College.

This is an unprecedented and outstanding painting of Jan van Speyk in its original frame. The portrait depicts van Speyk on the open sea, arms crossed, in his Royal Netherlands Navy uniform. He wears the Knight’s Cross (4th Class) of the Military Order of William, awarded for his actions related to the bombardment of Antwerp, as captain of Gunboat Number 2. From this, we believe the painting to have been done in 1830 or early 1831, but it could also have been posthumous. His lovely eagle’s head Royal Navy Officer’s sword hangs to his left, and his right hand appears to hold a shako. 

The back of the frame appears to be inscribed with Vos en Goon 11/8 81. To each side of the back appears royal wax seals, and the frame certainly has woodworm damage as shown. The original hanging wire is retained, and there are two metal brackets near the top of the back which is likely how it was originally mounted in a government or Navy building. The frame has some visible damage to all sides, but given its age, this certainly adds character to the piece.

In our research, we were able to find a very old black & white photograph of this painting, so this painting has likely been outside of the Netherlands for 75+ years.

Despite its age, being near to 200 years old, the painting has held up significantly well, although there are some very small flaws including small nicks or staining. This could be fixed by a preservationist, but we would recommend leaving it as is.

One of the most tremendous paintings we have ever offered, sure to become the centerpiece of any Netherlands collection, or any military collection for that matter.