The artist was a Dutch-born painter who in 1657 came with his brother, Johannes, to work in England. He became Court Painter to Charles II.  Danckerts travelled widely, and his most important commission for the King was to paint a series of twenty-eight canvases depicting various palaces and fortified ports. 

A drawing of Falmouth Harbour may have formed part of this series, with its combination of seascape, landscape and topographical detailing.  It would have been based on drawings executed on the spot, and shows the whole extent of Falmouth harbour, with the town on the right and a variety of shipping in the bay. The portrayal of figures in the foreground to the left is complemented by the sensitive rendering of sky and trees. The painting has been signed and dated 1678