This delightful Mediterranean port, filled with Men o’War gallantly displaying the red, white and blue stripes of the Dutch flag, epitomises the mercantile success of the Dutch Republic in the seventeenth century. On the right, a resplendent Man o’War leaves the harbour with full sails, whilst to the left, three further Men o’War are anchored in the harbour, their cargo presumably being tended to. In the foreground, figures standing on the quayside are seen gesturing towards the moored vessels. Two figures, most likely Dutch merchants, distinctively dressed with wide brimmed black hats and white ruffs are in discussion under an arch. The arch forms part of a tower, a bell perched on the top, clearly in a state of disrepair as creeping plants grow within the stonework. In the right foreground, a small wooden vessel is seen unloading wares via a wooden plank. On the bow end of the boat, a man wearing a white turban and tunic converses with another man, suggesting that this port is a hub of international trade.

The background is dominated by an urban Mediterranean landscape. Though the location is not revealed by Jan Abrahamsz Beerstraten, the fortifications visible in the harbour and towering mountain in the distance allude to Naples.

It is not known whether Beerstraten went to Italy during his career, though his portrayal of dappled, southern light is noticeably accurate. He also may have copied drawings from Johannes Lingelbach, an Italianate painter who had visited the Mediterranean. The so-called ‘Golden Age’ of the Dutch Republic in the seventeenth century was, in part, associated with the significant mercantile wealth accrued from their dominance in world maritime trade. The Mediterranean was the gateway between European and Eastern trade, and A Mediterranean Harbour with Men o'War, Shipping and Merchants on a Quay by a Tower portrays the considerable presence of Dutch shipping on the trade route.