BHC0491

The Battle of Cape St Vincent, 14 February 1797 Long Caption: This depiction of the Battle of Cape St Vincent is compositionally very close to Nicholas Pocock's 1808 version (BHC0487) that he completed for reproduction in Clarke and McArthur's two-volume publication, ‘Life of Nelson’. However, differences in style and content are sufficient to suggest, firstly, that this painting is not by Pocock, and secondly, that it is not directly based on Pocock's version. Instead, both pictures appear to have a common source in the engraving produced by James Fittler after a drawing by Lieutenant Jahleel Brenton of the Royal Navy, which was published on 4 June 1798, the year following the battle. The engraving, though expanded to the left to include a more panoramic view of the fleets, has the same composition showing the broadside of the 'Captain' with the two Spanish ships, 'San Nicolas' and 'San Josef', just beyond to the right. Credit line: © National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London Object: BHC0491 Artist: British School Date: early 19th century Medium: oil painting Size: 458 mm x 686 mm Click here to buy a bespoke print of this image.