Lot Essay
For three Jamaican subjects by Bélanger, all dated 1796, see Sotheby's, 10 Feb. 1982, lot 232.
Born in France, Bélanger travelled extensively in Europe and is primarily known for his work on the continent and in England. He exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1797 and was appointed painter to the Swedish court in Stockholm in 1798 where he remained until his death in 1816.
Grenada, the most southern of the Antilles, was discovered by Columbus in 1498. The British and French exchanged possession throughout the eighteenth century and the island was finally restored to Great Britain in 1783. The capital, St. George's, was built on a peninsula projecting into a spacious bay on the west side of the island, near the southern extremity. The houses were built of brick and stone and stood on high ground rising from the bay. The town itself is divided by a ridge running into the sea, forming on one side the carenage (or careenage), a large basin of water where ships lie landlocked, close to wharves and stores. A saluting battery, Fort George, overlooks the entrance and on the left, the land rises to the fortification of Hospital Hill, and a long ridge connects this fort with Richmond Heights.
Born in France, Bélanger travelled extensively in Europe and is primarily known for his work on the continent and in England. He exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1797 and was appointed painter to the Swedish court in Stockholm in 1798 where he remained until his death in 1816.
Grenada, the most southern of the Antilles, was discovered by Columbus in 1498. The British and French exchanged possession throughout the eighteenth century and the island was finally restored to Great Britain in 1783. The capital, St. George's, was built on a peninsula projecting into a spacious bay on the west side of the island, near the southern extremity. The houses were built of brick and stone and stood on high ground rising from the bay. The town itself is divided by a ridge running into the sea, forming on one side the carenage (or careenage), a large basin of water where ships lie landlocked, close to wharves and stores. A saluting battery, Fort George, overlooks the entrance and on the left, the land rises to the fortification of Hospital Hill, and a long ridge connects this fort with Richmond Heights.