- 231
Thomas Luny
Description
- Thomas Luny
- The Battle of Trafalgar, 21st October 1805
- oil on canvas
- Framed: 40 x 64 1/8 inches
Provenance
Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 6 December 1935, lot 159 (as signed and dated 1823) for 30 Guineas, to Tetley;
Anonymous sale, New York, Christie's East, 17 February 1999, lot 287 (as Attributed to Luny);
There acquired by Bernadette and William M.B. Berger, Denver, Colorado.
Condition
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."
Catalogue Note
In this painting, the de-masted ship foundering in the foreground is the Spanish 2 decker Monarca, a third rate ship of the line of 74 guns, commanded by Captain Don Teodoro de Argumosa. During the battle she was attacked at close range by HMS Mars and HMS Tonnant as they first cut the Franco-Spanish line. HMS Bellerophon, sailing behind Tonnant, then slipped under her stern and fired two broadsides into her, heavily damaging the ship, and she was captured by a party of Royal Marines. She sustained 255 casualties during the action, out of a crew of 667, and was later destroyed by the guns of HMS Naiad. At the center of the composition, still flying the French tricolor on her stern, is most likely the Rédoubtable, which endured devastating broadside attacks from HMS Victory and HMS Temeraire. The ship on fire in the background at right is the French Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line Achille. At the rear of the Franco-Spanish line, she was heavily assaulted by HMS Defiance, HMS Dreadnought and HMS Prince, caught fire and eventually exploded when the fire reached her powder magazine, taking 480 crew down with her.