Gibraltar Relieved by Sir George Rodney, January 1780
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Oil painting showing Gibraltar relieved from the seige of the Spanish during the wars of American Independence by Sir George Rodney in January 1780, copied from a print engraved by Robert Pollard after designs made by Dominic Serres. On the left towards the centre, there is a group of 13 warships. Several fly British ensigns from their stern. The ship to the right of the group with the tallest mast flying the flag of St George is the flagship of Sir George Rodney, HMS Sandwich. Some of the ships fly white ensigns with a wheel-type design, probably intended to represent the Spanish ensign of the captured Spanish vessels that Rodney sailed to Gibraltar along with his English vessels. These included the Fenix, the flagship of Admiral Juan de Lángara. Two rowing boats full of men appear behind the stern of Rodney's ship. Two more rowing boats appear to the left and right, in front of the ships. To the right, there is the shoreline and rock of Gibraltar with the harbour wall, buildings and fortifications. In front of the wall, there are two small sailing boats and several rowing boats.
In January 1780, Sir George Rodney ended the Spanish siege of the British port of Gibraltar, at the tip of the Spanish penisula, during the wars of American Independence. This painting was copied from a print engraved by Robert Pollard in 1782 after designs made by Dominic Serres.
Serries showed a similar painting in the Royal Academy exhibition of 1781 (now Royal Academy). He was very proud of it and presented it to the Academy as the equivalent of a diploma piece. He made a preparatory drawing which seems to have been the basis for Pollard's engraving (now Whitworth Art Gallery). Serres probably commissioned Pollard to make the engraving, hoping to gain more publicity and money from his prized composition (see Alan Russett; Dominic Serres R.A. 1719 - 1793 War Artist to the Navy; Woodbridge; 2001, pp. 137-40).
Serres made three paintings from Rodney's campaign to relieve Gibraltar. After the American colonies declared war in 1779, the Spanish quickly blockaded the British port at Gibraltar hoping to starve the defenders. Admiral Sir George Rodney was instructed to escort supplies to Gibraltar. In January 1780, he captured a convoy of Spanish ships and defeated another six in the battle of Cape St Vincent, known as the Moonlight Battle. He then sailed victorious into Gibraltar with the Spanish ships he had captured. The incident became famous in Britain because of the success of the mission.
The painting shows the British fleet with its prizes arriving at Gibraltar. The ship to the right of the group with the tallest mast flying the flag of St George is the flagship of Sir George Rodney, HMS Sandwich. Some of the ships fly white ensigns with a wheel-type design, probably intended to represent the Spanish ensign of the captured Spanish vessels that Rodney sailed to Gibraltar along with his English vessels. These included the Fenix, the flagship of Admiral Juan de Lángara.
The painting was purchased by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild, and was one of several shipping pictures with which he decorated his yacht 'Rona'.
Phillippa Plock, 2012
Dimensions (mm) / weight (mg)
750 x 1255
726 x 1218 - sight
Signature & date
not signed or dated
Inscriptions
9 10 1/2 / 4 6 3/4 ________
Inscription
on verso, upper right on stretcher, pencil
Labels
[Thomas Agnew and sons label]
Printed label
on verso, upper centre over frame and stretcher
MURA ENGLAND / 185
Label
on verso, upper left on stretcher, round blue printed label, with ink number in centre
Provenance
- Purchased by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild (b.1839, d.1898) from Thomas Agnew & Sons Ltd for £45 stock no. 7638, 2 June 1896, for his yacht 'Rona'; inherited by his sister Alice de Rothschild (b.1847, d.1922); inherited by her great-nephew James de Rothschild (b.1878, d.1957); inherited by his wife Dorothy de Rothschild (b.1895, d.1988); bequeathed to Waddesdon (National Trust) in 1988.
Collection
- Waddesdon (National Trust)
- Bequest of Dorothy de Rothschild, 1988
Related files
- www.britishmuseum.org [search on registration number: 1877,0609.1873, for Pollard print after Serres accessed 11 January 2010]
- www.britishmuseum.org [search on registration number: 1877,0609.1873, for Pollard print after Serres accessed 11 January 2010]
Subject person
- George, 1st Baron Rodney, About
- Admiral Juan de Lángara, About
Person as Subject
Subjects
- Objects/Industrial & Maritime Equipment/Ship
- Objects/Industrial & Maritime Equipment/Boat
- Work & Occupations/Trade & Commercial/Boatman
- Work & Occupations/Maritime & Military/Sailor
- Objects/Flags/Ensign
- Nature, Landscape & The Elements/Marine (The Sea)
- Nature, Landscape & The Elements/Clouds
- Military & War/Siege
- Military & War/Defeat
- Military & War/Navy
- Architecture/Buildings/Military
- Nature, Landscape & The Elements/Countryside
- Work & Occupations/Social Rank/Nobility