The painting portrays a man-of-war with sailing boats and figures at the mouth of a river. In the right foreground a rowing boat, heavily laden, conveys dignitaries and other passengers to the ships at anchor. The river is crowded with shipping to the right of the picture. The man-o-war has an ornately carved coat of arms on the stern. To the left, a barge moves across the river, loaded down with cannon.

The artist was initially a calligrapher in his native Germany before moving to Amsterdam. There, he was inspired by the grisaille drawings of van de Velde the Elder. Later, he was introduced to marine painting in oils in the studios of van Everingden and Dubbels. He was a contemporary of van de Velde the Younger, and shared with him a concern for painting ships with accuracy and understanding.