A London art gallery is holding an exhibition of maritime art from June 21 to July 17.

The show, at Chelsea’s Rountree Fine Art, will feature ship portraits and battles scenes from the 17th century to the First World War and aims to ‘go beyond the aesthetic beauty of the marine subjects and delve into the history within each picture’.

Paintings include Thomas Whitcombe‘s depiction of the English triumph over the French in the Battle of the Saintes or a watercolour of the German Zeppelin L19 sinking in the North Sea in 1916 (pictured).

Jamie Rountree, director of Rountree Fine Art and former head of maritime art at Christies, said: ‘Marine paintings are historical documents of the day and I’ve always enjoyed finding the story behind the artwork.

‘This exhibition is a remarkable collection of talented artists and maritime adventures spanning four hundred years.’