Jean Antoine Theodore de Gudin, Battle of a French ship of the line and two galleys of the Barbary corsairs, 1858

Using the ruthless Barbarossa brothers' reputation from the previous century to his advantage, the Dutch pirate Zymen Danseker - or Simon de Danser - used Barbary ports during the 17th century to capture Spanish vessels loaded with treasure. Many Dutch sailors joined the ranks of the Islamic pirates during the 17th century, some even converting to Islam. Simon de Danser was by far the most ruthless. Capturing over 40 ships in the span of only two years, this Dutch pirate was an ally of both the British and the Algerine. Known as "Captain Crazy" to the Dey of Algiers, Danser used his captured ships as models to build new ones. Soon, the Dey started financing Danser's voyages and started to build him a fleet. Teaming up with other notable pirates such as Peter Easton  - the plague of Newfoundland - and Jack Ward - operating out of Tunis - Danser ventured past the Straits of Gibraltar - the farthest any Barbary pirate had dared to go - all the way to Iceland. There, he sacked the island nation. The Spanish called him Dali-Capitan, or Devil Captain.

Battle of a French Ship of the Line is painted from the point of view of the French. Gudin was one of the official naval artists for Charles X. Even though this painting is supposed to glorify the French fleet, a clear winner is not obvious. The pirate ship has docked at a ninety-degree angle, perfect for boarding. The other French ship is in the dark, too far off to help. Bodies and cargo float past the viewer and spectators watch from afar. A beautiful painting, the ships are set too far off to experience the heat of the battle. Instead, the piece turns into a pleasant landscape set at sea. The ships look too dainty to cause any damage. Too often, pirating is romanticized as bloodless and daring. In reality, the lust for gold and treasure sent many sailors down to Davey Jone's locker. Perhaps this painting was commissioned as propaganda, assuring the upper class the seas - and their lucrative trading businesses - were indeed secured by French ships. The reality was, as long as corsairs like Simon de Danser lived, that would never be the case.