Brest, 1797 (Brest, Brittany, France) 48°24'00"N 04°29'00"W

Nicholas Pocock (1740-1821) (artist and publisher) [bottom left, below edge of view:] Painted by Nich.^l Pocock; [bottom centre, to each side of the vignette:] London, Published April 11. 1799 by N. Pocock G.^t George Str. Westminster.

Robert Pollard (c. 1755/6-1839) (engraver) [bottom right, below edge of view:] Engraved by Rob.^t Pollard

Subject(s)

Watermark: None visible

Condition: no fold lines

41.0 x 60.1 cm (neatline)

45.1 x 60.1 cm (image)

48.9 x 67.7 cm (platemark)

49.9 x 68.7 cm (sheet)

Printed title:

To CAPTAIN SIR H. NEALE of His Majesty's Frigate S.^T FIORENZO AND CAPTAIN JN.^O COOKE of His Majesty's Frigate LA NYMPHE, Officers, Seamen, and Marines; / This Print, representing the Capture of La Resistance & La Constance, French Frigates, close in with Brest, 9.^th March 1797, is respectfully Inscribed, by / Nicholas Pocock. [bottom, below view, to each side of a vignette, perhaps of the Pembrokeshire coast, flanked on the right by a figure with flowing beard and robes playing a Welsh harp]

Additional text:

[bottom centre, below title:] After having reconnoitred the Port of Brest and being off Point S.t Matthieu still in sight of the Ships in the Harbour, discoverd / two Ships to leeward which soon made to be enemy's Frigates, and having tack'd to secure the weather Gage, bore down together / and engaged the largest (which was the headmost) very warmly at the distance of about 40 yards and soon compell'd her to surrender / by this time the small Frigate had arriv'd up, and being attack'd in the same manner, struck her colours also at about 9 o'Clock A.M. [Bottom left, a statement of the killed and wounded of the St Fiorenzo and La Nymphe; bottom right, a statement of the killed and wounded of La Resistance and La Constance.]

Annotations:

George III heading [black pencil:] Military Naval Engagement 9 March 1797 Port folio No 3.

Other annotations: (Recto) none. (Verso) [bottom left, black pencil, obscured by paper backing: the old heading; bottom left, black pencil:] 123.a; [top left, black pencil:] 23; [top right, black pencil:] 25; [centre, black pencil, obscured by paper backing:] 23.

George III catalogue entry:

Naval Engagement Representation of the capture of la Resistance and la Constance, French Frigates, by H.M. Frigates S.^t Fiorenzo, Captain Sir H. Neale, and la Nymphe, Captain I. Cooke, close in with Brest on the 9.^th of March 1797: by N. Pocock, engraved by Pollard, 1799.

Bibliographic reference(s)

H. Parker, Naval battles from the collection of prints formed and owned by Commander Sir Charles Leopold Cust. With an introduction by C.N. Robinson, London 1911, no.123.a. The date of publication is given by Parker as 1797; this is an error and should read 1799.