Lorentzen made his first sketches from the top of the spire in the Church of Our Saviour of Christianshavn as the battle was still raging. Later on, Lorentzen also invited the surviving Danish officers to visit his studio, where they were invited to point out mistakes they found in the sketches. This was a laborious process, but necessary since Lorentzen wanted to present as correct a view as possible of the battle. He succeeded in this endeavour, and today there is general agreement that Lorentzen's painting portrays the battle with great accuracy, as it took place in the moments shortly before 1pm on 2 April 1801.

Governor General U.W. de Roepstorff commissioned 23 grey and 21 multicoloured punch bowls and one punch bowl with cover and matching dish - located at Frederiksborg Castle, where also C.A. Lorentzen's painting hangs. Crown Prince Frederik bought in December 1801 the painting for 1000 Rigsdaler. The punch bowls are apparently identical but comparison shows many small differences, e.g. the size of the ships, the flag on the Sixtus Battery, the location of the ships on the horizon and also the painterly representation of the cannon fire smoke and the water. Some specimens depict choppy small waves while others have quiet ripples. Literature: Mentioned and depicted in Bredo Grandjean: Kongelig Dansk Porcelain (Royal Danish Porcelain), 1962, p. 176 and 158.