The illustration used on the cover of this book is a detail of Howard Pyle’s The Sack of Cartegena (There are several alternate titles for this painting). The piece was painted in 1907, as part of a series of paintings and illustrations for Howard Pyle’s Book of Pirates. It is not used here to represent any particular scene or character in this series.
Howard Pyle is regarded by many as the father of American illustration. There are numerous books and web sites devoted to his work and legacy, so we will not waste words here saying what many others can tell you. Pyle seems to be one of the few illustrators who ever read Exquemelin or Burney (see bibliography). In his art and writing, he accurately depicts what is known of the buccaneers in terms of dress and tactics. He essentially represents buccaneers, circa 1630-1680, and not romanticized notions from later centuries about “pirates” from the Golden Age of Piracy, 1680-1720.