The Anglo-Dutch Fleet under Lord Exmouth and Vice Admiral Jonkheer Theodorus Frederik van Capellen putting out the Algerian Strongholds

Fire and smoke light up the night in this stirring naval scene painted by Nicolaas Baur in 1818. The work shows the Bombardment of Algiers, a real battle that took place in August 1816, when British and Dutch ships joined forces to attack the North African port. Their aim was to pressure the local ruler into ending the capture of European sailors, who were being sold into slavery. Two commanders led the mission together: Lord Exmouth of Britain and Vice Admiral van Capellen of the Netherlands, both named in the painting's rather lengthy title.

Baur followed the long tradition of Dutch marine painting, a genre his country had loved for hundreds of years. His attention to the tall ships is clear, from the intricate rigging to the golden glow of cannon fire dancing across the still water. A heavy, smoke-filled sky dominates most of the canvas, lending the whole scene a brooding tension. In the foreground, small boats drift quietly, a strange calm set against the burning chaos further back.

Paintings like this did more than decorate a wall. They stirred national pride and preserved great events for people who would never witness them in person. The Dutch remembered the attack on Algiers as a matter of honor, and Baur wraps the moment in a grand, almost theatrical mood that captured exactly how his countrymen wanted it to be seen.