John Thomas was the son and pupil of Dominic Serres (1722-93) and continued the family business of practicing and teaching marine painting and drawing. In 1795 during the French Revolutionary Wars the Dutch Republic was overrun by the French and a client state established, called the Batavian Republic. On 11 October 1797 this new Republic fought its first and last significant battle (off Camperduin in North Holland) with its newest and oldest enemy, the Royal Navy. This encounter between Admirals Duncan and de Winter resulted in a decisive British victory and removed the danger of a French invasion from this quarter. This is one of a pair of paintings of the battle (OM 1080-1, 405387-8) executed in 1798 (perhaps for William, Duke of Clarence, later William IV). The first scene, set at noon on the day of the battle, shows an orderly intersection between two lines. This second scene shows the devastation which resulted and depicts the afternoon of the battle. Two stricken ships, centre, with rowing boats picking up survivors in the foreground; on the right, the Dutch ship Hercules is ablaze; on the extreme left, the Wassenaar; other ships in the background on the left. An engraving based on this design was published in March 1798 by Ralph Dodd with an explanatory key. Signed and dated: 'J. T. Serres. 1798'