Dutch school of the XVIII century. "Spanish galleons arriving in the Netherlands". Oil on canvas. Relined. It presents Repainting. Measurements: 63 x 102 cm; 81 x 131,5 cm (frame). An imposing naval squadron formed by three galleys furrows a foamy sea, approaching the Dutch coast under a clear sky, except for thin passing clouds. On the galleys fly the Spanish flag and the flag of the Cross of Burgundy. The latter was carried by the ships of the Netherlands occupied by Spain. In fact, it was the naval ensign of the Spanish monarchy until the seventeenth century. In the foreground, peasants and sailors await the arrival of the warships. They carry loads of armed men. In the background, on the right hand side, the profile of a fortress city with defensive towers is drawn. The mist tinges these distant houses with blue, enveloping them in a dreamy aura. The author develops an atmospheric painting characteristic of the Dutch school of the Baroque period, and in particular, picks up the tradition of the Utrecht marine painting. The painting shows an imaginary landscape that, through the introduction of the galleys and the citadel, the viewer of the time could understand as a Flanders coast. Somewhere where the Spanish monarchy had commercial or colonial interests. Although the struggle between Spain and the rebellious United Provinces had practically ceased in the Netherlands in 1609, they remained in a state of war until the signing of the Treaty of Münster in 1648. L