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Battle of the Saints

Maker Nicholas Pocock (British, 1741 - 1821)

ClassificationsDRAWINGS

Daten.d.

Mediumwatercolor over traces of graphite on laid paper

Dimensions9 x 14 in. (22.9 x 35.6 cm.) sheet: 11 3/8 × 16 1/8 in. (28.9 × 41 cm.)

SignedSignature; twice: Pocock Fect.

InscribedInscribed in iron gall ink on verso: Sir George Rodney's Engagement with the Count De Grass

MarkingsStamped on verso: Ingram Collector's stamp

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Sir Bruce Ingram Collection

Status

Not on view

Label TextThis watercolor depicts one of the most important naval battles of the American War of Independence. At the Battle of the Saints, the British fleet engaged the French off the coast of Dominica, in the Caribbean. It was a popular subject for commemoration, a major triumph at a time when British defeat on American soil appeared inevitable. To accurately describe the battle, Pocock relied on firsthand accounts of naval officers. He heightens the emotion of the scene by depicting the moment victory is ensured, as the British flagship breaks through the line of French ships, firing on their vanguard (2022).

Object number63.52.192

Terms

Exhibitions

Britain and the Sea