The battle of the Texel (known in Dutch history as the battle of Kijkduin) was the last major engagement of the third Anglo-Dutch War. It was a final (and unsuccessful) attempt by the Allies to dislodge the Dutch fleet in advance of a planned invasion of Holland. By the time both fleets retreated, exhausted, the battle had cost the lives of around 3,000 men. Peace ensued earlier the following year.

In this drawing, a badly damaged Royal Navy ship, the Royal Prince, lies in the centre middle-distance, flanked by two Dutch ships. It is a compositional study for an oil painting of which there are several extant versions of various sizes, including three in the collection of the NMM (see BHC0314, BHC0316 and BHC0309) and a fourth in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam (SK-A-2392).