Porcelain plate depicting Jan van Speijck

Jan Carel Josephus van Speijck (1802-1831) was the commander of a Dutch cannon boat during the Belgian Revolt and gained fame in his own country by having his boat with crew exploding near Antwerp. In this way, Van Speijck prevented the artillery boat from being handed over to Belgian revolutionaries. Jan van Speijk was soon regarded as a national hero in the northern Netherlands.