The English Fleet Blockading Brest

Location

Country: Chile
City: Santiago
Place: British Embassy

John Thomas Serres was born in London, son of marine painter Dominic Serres the elder. On his father's death he succeeded him as Marine Painter to George III. In 1800, he was appointed Marine Draughtsman to the Admiralty and employed to draw the coasts of Britain, France, Spain and the Mediterranean. He also taught at Chelsea Naval School, painted battle scenes and published ‘Liber Nauticus’ (1805), with plates after his and his father’s drawings. In 1817, he became a proprietor of the Coburg Theatre and subsequently the scenic director. He married a pupil, Olivia Wilmot, who claimed to be the daughter of the Duke of Cumberland. Her behaviour ruined Serres, who lost favour in court. He died soon after his release from a debtor's prison.

Places

Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic, France, Brittany, Brest

Subjects

fleet, topography, seascape/coastal scene, stone/rock, sea, cliff, flag, sailboat, ship

Materials & Techniques

paper (as artists material), watercolour (as artists materials), watercolour (as object name)

Artist

John Thomas Serres (1759 - 1825)

Title

The English Fleet Blockading Brest

Date

1804

Medium

Watercolour on paper

Acquisition

Purchased from Sir Bruce Ingram, 1963

Inscription

Sdbl

GAC number

1610