Naval battle images like The Four Days’ Battle make beautiful puzzles. That’s why most jigsaw puzzle manufacturers have used these images in their catalogs for decades. Several classic puzzles come to mind, like the extraordinary 6000 pieces version of The Battle of Lepanto, by Andrea Vicentino. However, for some reason naval battles are not popular anymore. As a consequence, all those puzzles are now out of catalog and very difficult to find. In fact, the last time a classic naval battle puzzle puzzle appeared was 1998, when Educa manufactured, again, The Battle of Lepanto, by H. Letter.
Some puzzle fans say that the name naval battle is not the best for this type of puzzles. Instead, the name should be sky and sea puzzles. After all, most of the pieces belong to huge areas of sea and sky, while the ships are often just a small part of the image. While that is true, and sometimes there are large areas of solid tones that are very challenging, the truth is that most of these puzzles are magnificent. The Four Days’ Battle, which Ravensburger manufactured in 1974, is a good example. It is, however, unfortunate that we need to go back more than 40 years in order to find a classic naval battle puzzle.
Four Days: June 11 to June 14.
This battle took place from June 11 to June 14 1666 during the Second Anglo-Dutch War, and it is considered the greatest sea fight of the Age of Sail. In fact, it remains one of the longest naval engagements in history. The conflict was between England and the Dutch Republic for control over the seas and trade routes. England tried to end the Dutch domination of world trade during a period of intense European commercial rivalry. However, after initial English successes, the war ended in a Dutch victory.
It is likely that Abraham Storck enjoyed painting The Four Day’s Battle, since he was Dutch. Had he been English, perhaps he woudn’t have painted the scene at all. He had a great reputation for his marine paintings and different brands have published puzzles with his works. Jumbo published a 3000 pieces version of Sham Fight on the River Y, and Nathan published a 2000 version of Frigate in Amsterdam.
I assembled the puzzle during a weekend and I had a great time. Although I couldn’t work with natural light, the puzzle was not too difficult. It is amazing how Ravensburger puzzles remain in great shape after several decades have passed.
1500, Ravensburger, The Four Days Battle, Abraham Storck, 84.1 x 59.4 cm, Reference number 625 5 636 6.
