This fabulous copper engraving shows the famous and ill-fated Spanish Armada of 1588. The fleet numbered over 130 ships, making it by far the greatest naval fleet of its age. It was met by a much smaller English force that employed superior naval tactics and confused the Spanish by setting fire to ships adrift, using the tide to carry the blazing vessels into the massed Spanish fleet. As a result the armada missed their rendezvous with the Duke of Parma's army off the Flanders coast and was then caught in a series of severe storms. Only about 80 of the fleet's initial complement made it back to Spain. Engraved by Van Luyken.

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Condition: A

A crisp impression on a watermarked sheet with a few unobtrusive spots and a tiny centerfold separation in the bottom blank margin.