The Capture of Havana by the English Squadron

Location

Country: Cuba
City: Havana
Place: British Embassy

Dominic Serres, marine painter and nephew of the Archbishop of Rheims, was born in Auch, Gascony. He studied at the English Benedictine school at Douai but is thought to have run away and served with the Spanish fleet, before being captured and sent to England as a prisoner of war in c.1750. After his release, he painted views of country houses. In the late 1750s he moved to London, where he was a pupil of marine painter Charles Brooking. He established a reputation for battle scenes during the Seven Years War and the War of American Independence. In 1768, he was one of the founder members of the Royal Academy and in 1780 he was made marine painter to George III. He became librarian of the Royal Academy in 1792, shortly before his death.

Places

Caribbean Islands (West Indies), Cuba, Havana, Gulf of Mexico

Subjects

rowing boat, smoke, military uniform, cannon, soldier, Battle of Havana, ship

Materials & Techniques

canvas, oil, oil painting

Artist

Dominic Serres (1722 - 1793)

Title

The Capture of Havana by the English Squadron

Date

1762-1768

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

height: 113.00 cm, width: 188.00 cm

Acquisition

Purchased from Frank T. Sabin, June 1961

Provenance

With Sabin Gallery, London; from whom purchased by the Ministry of Works in June 1961

GAC number

5521