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Lot Essay
This picture commemorates Lord Rodney's glorious victory over the French fleet off Guadeloupe on 12th April 1782. Towards the end of the American War of Independence, by which time both France and Spain had allied themselves to the colonists' cause in the hope of gaining territory at England's expense, the French campaign in the Caribbean had already been disturbingly successful. When, in the spring of 1782, the French made ready to mount an offensive against Jamaica, Admiral Lord Rodney realised that a full-scale fleet action was his only means of stopping them. The French fleet, under the Comte de Grasse, weighed from Fort Royal, Martinique, on 8 April; Rodney intercepted it and a partial engagement took place the following day. De Grasse initially seemed to have the advantage but soon lost it and the battle developed into a running fight which lasted three days. On the morning of 12 April, Rodney brought the French to action off Les Saintes, a group of small islands in the channel between Guadeloupe and Dominica. Initially adopting the traditional strategy, Rodney then bewildered the French by piercing their line of battle in two places and threw them into utter confusion. Before long their flagship, the 104-gun Ville de Paris, was surrounded and forced to strike her colours, and even though a number of ships managed to escape the battle, it was nevertheless a decisive defeat for the French which saved the valuable island of Jamaica from invasion.
In this work, Rodney's flagship Formidable is shown in the centre of the painting engaging the French flagship Ville de Paris with her starboard broadside at the start of the main action on the 12th April. Interestingly however, the only named vessel is the Namur (in the left foreground) which, as a 90-gun second rate, played a vital role in the battle and whose impressive firepower helped to ensure the ultimate victory. As this vessel is the only one to be so identified, it seems highly probable that this work was commissioned by Namur's commanding officer, Captaion Robert Fanshawe, who enjoyed a long and distinguished naval career from 1753, when he joined his first ship as midshipman, until 1823 when he died whilst still holding the position of Resident Commissioner of Plymouth Dockyard, the duties of which office he had performed "in the most exemplary manner" for twenty-six years. Indeed, in an earlier volume of naval biography published in 1788, he had been described as "one of the ablest officers the British fleet can boast; - cool, collected, brave and active; and ever ready for service when called upon"
Born in Gascony, Serres joined the French navy to avoid being compelled to enter the priesthood. He came to England in the early 1750's after his ship had been captured, and began to make a living as an artist. Initially his pictures catered to fashionable taste, portraying calm and romantic seascapes, but his success provided him with the opportunity to experiment with more dramatic portrayals. His charm and social ease made him popular and enabled him to appeal to gentleman and naval patrons alike. In 1768 he became a founder member of the Royal Academy and was later made marine painter to King George III.
In this work, Rodney's flagship Formidable is shown in the centre of the painting engaging the French flagship Ville de Paris with her starboard broadside at the start of the main action on the 12th April. Interestingly however, the only named vessel is the Namur (in the left foreground) which, as a 90-gun second rate, played a vital role in the battle and whose impressive firepower helped to ensure the ultimate victory. As this vessel is the only one to be so identified, it seems highly probable that this work was commissioned by Namur's commanding officer, Captaion Robert Fanshawe, who enjoyed a long and distinguished naval career from 1753, when he joined his first ship as midshipman, until 1823 when he died whilst still holding the position of Resident Commissioner of Plymouth Dockyard, the duties of which office he had performed "in the most exemplary manner" for twenty-six years. Indeed, in an earlier volume of naval biography published in 1788, he had been described as "one of the ablest officers the British fleet can boast; - cool, collected, brave and active; and ever ready for service when called upon"
Born in Gascony, Serres joined the French navy to avoid being compelled to enter the priesthood. He came to England in the early 1750's after his ship had been captured, and began to make a living as an artist. Initially his pictures catered to fashionable taste, portraying calm and romantic seascapes, but his success provided him with the opportunity to experiment with more dramatic portrayals. His charm and social ease made him popular and enabled him to appeal to gentleman and naval patrons alike. In 1768 he became a founder member of the Royal Academy and was later made marine painter to King George III.