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Lot Essay
During the War of Independence of the United States, General Washington besieged Yorktown, Virginia in 1781 where General Cornwallis was stationed. The French troops led by Marquis de Lafayette and Comte de Rochambeau came to Washington's help with the aid of 7,000 men. The English troops ran out of ammunition and Hood and Graves tried to bring in extra arms by the York river but the Comte de Grasse lay in wait and blocked the access of the British fleet and Cornwallis was thus forced to surrender. This disaster proved the ruin of the British cause in America.
Louis Nicolas van Blarenberghe executed several paintings of the siege and surrender of Yorktown, signed and dated 1784 and 1785. His paintings are based on drawings by his friends and pupils Alexandre and César Berthier who were eye-witnesses of the battles whilst serving under Rochambeau.
We are indebted to Dr Monique Maillet-Chassagne, author of Une dynastie de peintres lillois, les Van Blarenberghe (Paris, 2001) for her help with the cataloguing of the present lot based on a photograph. Madame Maillet-Chassagne has also suggested that the present two miniatures may be considered in the context of the artistic oeuvre of the future Field Marshal Alexandre Berthier.
Louis Nicolas van Blarenberghe executed several paintings of the siege and surrender of Yorktown, signed and dated 1784 and 1785. His paintings are based on drawings by his friends and pupils Alexandre and César Berthier who were eye-witnesses of the battles whilst serving under Rochambeau.
We are indebted to Dr Monique Maillet-Chassagne, author of Une dynastie de peintres lillois, les Van Blarenberghe (Paris, 2001) for her help with the cataloguing of the present lot based on a photograph. Madame Maillet-Chassagne has also suggested that the present two miniatures may be considered in the context of the artistic oeuvre of the future Field Marshal Alexandre Berthier.