Thomas Luny

Anonymous sale, London, Sotheby's, 26 March 2004, lot 36, for £30,000 to the present owner.

STRUCTURE The canvas has been lined. PAINT SURFACE The painting appears to be in very good condition with no apparent extant damage or loss of paint. It is lighter in tone than the illustration in the catalogue. There are a small number of minor visible retouchings to old frame and stretcher abrasion at the edges of the canvas, and the paint is a little thin in the upper right, where there are areas of fine craquelure. ULTRAVIOLET Examination under ultraviolet light shows that the above mentioned old retouchings do not fluoresce, and are therefore old, and reveals a small amount of more recent retouching in the flames in the centre of the picture. There is a slightly murky varnish overall. FRAME Held in a carved and gold painted frame. To speak to a specialist about this lot please contact Julian Gascoigne on +44 (0)207 293 5482, or at julian.gascoigne@sothebys.com, or Ludo Shaw Stewart on +44 (0)207 293 5816, or at ludovic.shawstewart@sothebys.com.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This magnificent painting commemorates Admiral Lord Exmouth's great action off Algiers on 27^th August 1816. Following Napoleon's final defeat in 1815, the Royal Navy no longer needed the assistance of the Barbary States as a source of supplies for Gibraltar and would not tolerate further the threat of Islamic piracy in the Mediterranean, or the systemic enslavement of Europeans in North Africa. In early 1816 Exmouth undertook a diplomatic mission to Tunis, Tripoli and Algiers with the backing of a small British squadron, to obtain the release of all British subjects held in captivity. Though negotiations were largely successful he met with considerable opposition from the Dey of Algiers, and when Algerian troops massacred two hundred Corsican, Sicilian and Sardinian fishermen who were under British protection, it was finally decided that action should be taken.

Having returned to England Exmouth finally set sail from Plymouth on 28th July 1816 with two three-deckers, the Queen Charlotte, with 100 guns, and the Impregnable, with 98 guns, as well as three 74-gun ships, one 50-gun ship, four frigates, and nine smaller vessels. At Gibraltar he was joined by a squadron of Dutch frigates under the command of Vice Admiral Theodorus Frederik van Capellen, and the fleet reached Algiers on 27th August. By 2 o'clock that afternoon no answer had been made to Lord Exmouth's demands for the release of all prisoners, and at 3.15pm the order was given to fire. The fire was returned and a fierce action ensued, lasting eight hours. The batteries in Algiers were destroyed along with thirty three Algerian vessels, and a large proportion of the town. The bombardment continued on into the night, but the result was the release of three thousand European slaves, over a thousand of them British, along with the British Consul, and the effective destruction of the Barbary threat. Exmouth returned to England in triumph.