Dominic Serres the Elder, R.A.

Commissioned by Prince William Henry, Duke of Clarence and St Andrews, later known as King William IV (1765–1837), Clarence Lodge, Petersham and St James's Palace, London;

Hibbert Collection, Birtles Hall, Cheshire;

Anonymous sale ('The Property of a Gentleman'), London, Christie's, 24 June 1977, lot 101, for £5,200;

With Richard Green, London, by 1977;

Private collection, Europe;

With Richard Green, London;

From whom acquired in June 2000.

A. Russett, Dominic Serres R.A. 1719–1793: War Artist to the Navy, Woodbridge 2001, pp. 208–9, reproduced in colour pl. 70.

This painting was commissioned by the Duke of Clarence, later King William IV, to whom Serres was appointed Marine Painter. Prince William spent his youth serving in the Royal Navy: he was duly registered as an ‘able seaman’ onboard Admiral Robert Digby’s flagship HMS Prince George in 1779 and the following year took part in the relief of Gibraltar, where he befriended the young Captain Nelson. In March 1791, William bought Clarence Lodge and was also having his rooms in St James's Palace redesigned by John Soane (1753–1837). It was under these circumstances that he appears to have commissioned several works from Serres, including the present painting. The picture's long, thin format indicates that it was intended as a frieze for a chimney piece.

The Leander, a 50-gun fourth-rate ship of the line, was laid down at Chatham in 1777 and launched in 1780. She served on the Gold Coast and in the West Indies during the 1780s, but perhaps her best-known appearance was at the Battle of the Nile in 1798, during which she played a key role in Admiral Horatio Nelson's victory over the French fleet at Aboukir Bay. After a long and distinguished career, she was converted to a hospital ship in 1813.

The popularity of the present composition is attested by a copy by I. Wingfield, of comparable dimensions, that sold at Bonhams in 2016.¹

¹ Oil on panel, 22.5 x 144.5 cm.; London, Bonhams, 5 October 2016, lot 32.