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Born in Paris in 1783, Ambroise-Louis Garneray entered the French Navy at the age of 13, serving in the Indian Ocean on La Confiance. Whilst serving on the Atalante, in 1805, he was shipwrecked off the Cape of Good Hope and was transferred to the frigate Belle Poule which was captured the following year. He was confined to the prison hulk Prothée in Portsmouth Harbour and remained a prisoner until the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1814. Whilst a prisoner of war, he began to paint portraits, but in 1812 he was moved ashore to a parole area. It was then that he executed a series of views of Portsmouth harbour from the north, with prison hulks in line in the foreground, of which this is an example. In 1813, he escaped, but was recaptured in the Channel by the Vengeance and consequently spent his last few months stripped of all privileges. After his release, he became a professional marine painter, exhibiting at the Paris Salon from 1817. In 1852 was created a Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur.

Ambroise-Louis Garneray (1783-1857)

A panorama of Portsmouth harbour with hulks in line ahead and the fleet at anchor, including warships of the American and Spanish navies

Details

Ambroise-Louis Garneray (1783-1857)
A panorama of Portsmouth harbour with hulks in line ahead and the fleet at anchor, including warships of the American and Spanish navies
oil on canvas
19½ x 38 7/8 in. (50 x 98.7 cm.)

Special notice

This lot is subject to Collection and Storage Charges. No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis

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