.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
The battle of Marengo was fought near the city of Alessandria, in Piedmont, north-western Italy, on 14 June 1800 during the war of the Second Coalition. It ended in a French victory and the evacuation by the Austrians of much of Italy. A victory for Napoleon soon after he had become First Consul of France, the battle played an important role in his continuing rise to power.
This sketch must have been produced by an Englishman, possibly someone who witnessed the action at first hand. Perhaps, the artist was an officer as, during their training in England, officers-elect had to undergo at least a year's worth of drawing classes in order to prepare them to sketch just such an occasion, for later tactical use.
This sketch must have been produced by an Englishman, possibly someone who witnessed the action at first hand. Perhaps, the artist was an officer as, during their training in England, officers-elect had to undergo at least a year's worth of drawing classes in order to prepare them to sketch just such an occasion, for later tactical use.