The bay of Naples with the British fleet at anchor, 1 August 1718. Oil painting by Gaspar Butler.

  • Butler, Gaspar, fl. 18th century.
Reference:
45052i
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About this work

Description

The Bay of Naples is said to be depicted with the British fleet at anchor on 1 August 1718 under the command of Sir George Byng. This scene is set a few days before the Battle of Passaro, off the south east corner of Sicily, in 1718 in which the Spanish fleet was destroyed by Byng on behalf of the Quadruple Alliance (Austria, Britain, France and the Netherlands). Byng was in the ship called the Barfleur and the ships of his two junior officers are flying Union flags, the custom at that station at the time

Physical description

1 painting : oil on copper ; sight 44.3 x 105.2 cm

References note

Christopher Wright et al., British and Irish paintings in public collections, New Haven and London: Yale University Press for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, 2006, p. 222

Reference

Wellcome Collection 45052i

Creator/production credits

There is another version of this painting at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, ref. BHC0349, size 45.7 x 104.1 cm., which is very close in size to the Wellcome Library version and is also painted on copper. Another similar painting on copper 42 x 104.8 cm. was sold at Christie's London on 5 July 2011, lot 51 (with companion painting, lot 50). The National Maritime Museum also has another painting of the Bay of Naples by Butler and there is another at the Ferens Art Gallery, Hull, Yorkshire, catalogue, 2002, no. 43, inv. no. 804

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