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Oil Painting Naval Ships Anglo French Sea Battle of Cuddalore 1783 By James Hardy
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- This 1 beautiful oil painting by James Hardy is sure to make a statement in any room. It depicts the scene of the 1783 Anglo-French sea battle of Cuddalore, featuring ships engaged in naval combat. This painting is sure to impress with its accurate representation of an iconic moment in history.
- Title "Battle of Cuddalmore 1783.
- Subject depicting a late 18th century naval sea battle of various war frigate ships of the British & French lines firing on each other.
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Distinctly signed in the bottom corner by listed worldwide known artist James Hardy.
This is a fine example of his marine work. - In the Georgian style.
- Here we have such a fine painting by James Hardy III, a listed artist from Britain who was born in 1937.
- His paintings are highly sought after due to the collectible nature of his subject matter and his wonderful detail. He specialised in marine art.
- Circa late 20th century 1970's.
- Oil on board.
- Frame is a rather good size being 86 cm wide and 60 cm high.
- Having beautiful highly detailed perspective.
- The focal point are the lines of the British & French frigate war sailing tall ships in the foreground shown firing broadsides on each other, they all showing the bows head on & have suffered cannon ball damage with all of there sails being riddled with cannon holes all over. With mass of ships firing and various cloud billows of smoke that is moving along and around the ships as they all fire at once.
- Such attention to detail with splashes on the sea caused by explosions of cannon ball shots that are missing targets, you can view see partial ship mast wreckage floundering in the sea sinking. You can see the ensign Flags of the French & British, also with rigging and sails, sailor figures on deck such a spectacular sight you can feel the tension in this battle scene.
- Seeing the clouds of smoke and flames from the cannons, it feels like you are actually witnessing the battle. With mainly grey overcast sky above with spots of blue shining through, sailing on relative choppy high seas.
- The Battle of Cuddalore in 1783 was a naval battle between a British fleet, under Admiral Sir Edward Hughes with Admiral L.J. Weiland, and a smaller French fleet, under the Bailli de Suffren, off the coast of India that took place right before the Treaty of Paris that ended the American Revolutionary War. This war sparked the Second Mysore War in India. In the battle, taking place near Cuddalore on 20 June 1783, Suffren commanded the engagement from the frigate Cléopâtre and won what is generally considered a victory. Peace had already been agreed upon in Europe, but that news had yet to reach India, making this the final battle of the war.
- On the death of French ally Hyder Ali, the British decided to retake Cuddalore. They marched troops from Madras, and began preparing for a siege. The French fleet, under Suffren, appeared at Cuddalore on 13 June. A week of fickle winds prevented either side from engaging until 20 June, when Suffren attacked. No ships were seriously damaged, but each side lost about 100 men with around 400 wounded. The British fleet retreated to Madras after the action, preventing the landing of transports carrying additional troops en route to Cuddalore to reinforce the siege. A sortie from the town weakened the British forces, and word of peace officially arrived at Cuddalore on 29 June.
- Following the December 1782 death of French ally Hyder Ali, the ruler of Mysore and previous controller of Cuddalore, British commanders at Madras decided to attempt the recapture of Cuddalore. The army marched south from Madras, circling around the city then encamping south of it. The British fleet, eighteen ships of the line under Admiral Sir Edward Hughes, anchored to the south of Cuddalore in order to protect the army and its supply ships. By early June 1783, the Siege of Cuddalore was under way.
- French Admiral Suffren was ordered on 10 June to sail with his smaller fleet of fifteen ships from Trincomalee to support the besieged city. When he arrived, Hughes, who sought to avoid battle, moved away from the city and again anchored. After five days of adverse winds, Suffren was able to anchor near the city, where he made contact with the city's commander, Sayed Sahib of Mysore. Since it appeared that the success of the siege would be decided by naval action, 1,200 troops were embarked onto Suffren's ships to increase his gunnery complement. His fleet weighed anchor on 18 June, and the two fleets began maneuvering for advantage.
- Both fleets were at first frustrated by light and variable winds. When a consistent west wind developed on 20 June, Hughes lined-up for battle on a northward-trending port tack and awaited Suffren's action. Lining-up in a similar formation, Suffren gave to the order to attack, and battle was engaged shortly after four in the afternoon. The action lasted about three hours resulting in no major damage to ships in either fleet, despite all ships being engaged.
- Suffren's fleet anchored about 25 nautical miles north of Cuddalore after the battle, while Hughes anchored near the city. On 22 June, Hughes sighted the French fleet while he was en route to Madras; a number of his ships had been disabled, and he reported that many men were suffering from scurvy and that he was short of water.
- Suffren returned to Cuddalore on 23 June, forcing the British supply fleet to withdraw. In addition to returning the 1,200 troops he had borrowed from the city's garrison, he landed an additional 2,400 men to support the defense. A sortie from the city was repelled but weakened the besieging British, and on 29 June a British ship flying under a truce flag brought news of a preliminary peace agreement between the two nations, resulting in a mutually-agreed suspension of hostilities on 2 July.The brushwork is of the finest quality, totally exceptional a masterpiece.
- Set in a fine gilt frame.
- With hanging thread on the back ready for immediate home display.
- Incredible conversation piece for your guests.
- A superb nautical collectors item.
- Provenance label verso.
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- Condition report.
- Offered in fine used condition.
- The front painting surface is in good overall order with some foxing staining in areas.
- The frame having various signs of wear, repairs, scuffs, scratches, stains, dust, losses in places commensurate with usage & age.
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Dimensions in centimetres of the frame approximate
High (60 cm)
Width (86 cm)
Length depth thickness of frame (4.5 cm)