Saturday, September 5, 2015

7 Artists Embedded with Napoleon's Navy in the Indian Ocean. 1803

Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand, Comte de Linois (27 January 1761 – 2 December 1848) was a French admiral during the time of Napoleon Bonaparte. In 1803 Napoleon appointed him to command the French forces in the Indian Ocean and, flying his flag aboard the 74-gun-ship Marengo (ex-Jean-Jacques Rousseau), he harried British merchant ships across the ocean and into the China Seas.


the Achille
Model, first quarter of the 1800s. Made following plans by Jacques-Noël Sané
1/33rd-scale model of the Achille
Musée national de la Marine

The Achille, sister-ship of French ship Marengo (1810).

Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy. In October 1796, under Captain Racord, she was part of the Villeneuve's squadron that sailed from Toulon to Brest. On 2 December 1802, she was renamed to Marengo (reflecting the political change from the Revolutionary Republic inspired by Jean-Jacques Rousseau to the advent of General (soon to be Emperor) Napoleon).


In 1803 she sailed to the Indian Ocean as Linois' flagship, notably taking part in the Battle of Pulo Aura and the Battle of Vizagapatam.

File:East Indiamen in a Gale.jpg
Charles Brooking (1723–1759)
This is a portrait of an East Indiaman in the foreground, in port-quarter view. The ship in the distance to the left approaches in starboard-bow view, heeling on the port tack under fore and main-course. 
Date circa 1759
National Maritime Museum, Greenwich

East Indiaman was a general name for any sailing ship operating under charter or licence to any of the East India Companies of the major European trading powers of the 17th through the 19th centuries. The term is therefore used to refer to vessels belonging to the Danish, Dutch, English, French, Portuguese, or Swedish East India companies. 

During the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars they were often painted to resemble warships; an attacker could not be sure if gunports were real or merely paint, and some Indiamen carried sizable armaments. The Royal Navy acquired several East Indiamen, turning them into fourth rates (e.g., HMS Weymouth and HMS Madras, described above), maintaining the confusion for military ships seeking merchant ships as prizes of war. More

Charles Brooking (c.1723–59) was an English painter of marine scenes. Brooking became much more widely known in 1754, when he was commissioned to paint A Flagship Before the Wind Under Easy Sail. This painting is a huge sea piece intended to "match" another painting, whereabouts unknown, said to be of a “Fleet in the Downs”, by Peter Monamy.


Brooking is said to have died of consumption on 25 March 1759, reportedly leaving his family destitute

File:John Cleveley the Elder - The East Indiaman 'Princess Royal'.jpg
John Cleveley the Elder circa 1712 - 1777
The East Indiaman‚ Princess Royal, c. 1770
Oil on canvas
75 × 111.5 cm (29.5 × 43.9 in)
National Maritime Museum

Princess Royal, launched in 1786, was an East Indiaman. She made two complete trips to India for the British East India Company and was on her third trip, this one to China, when French privateers or warships captured her on 27 September 1793. The French Navy took her into service in the Indian Ocean as a 34-gun frigate under the name Duguay Truin. The Royal Navy recaptured her and she returned to British merchant service. In 1797 she performed one more voyage for the EIC. She received a letter of marque in July 1798 but then disappears from readily available records. More

John Cleveley the Elder (c.1712 – 21 May 1777) was an English marine artist. He was born in Southwark. His father set him up as a carpenter or shipwright in around 1742. Continuing his work in that area throughout his life. From about 1745 he also worked as a painter, mostly ship portraits, dockyard scenes of shipbuilding and launches, and some other marine views. They combined his knowledge of shipbuilding with accurate architectural and topographical detail. Apparently mostly self-taught, it is possible that dockyard ship-painters also gave him some training in this area. He toured East Anglia, and produced some paintings from notes made on that trip. More

A pair of prints relating to the China Fleet action (2)
After Robert Dodd (British, 1748-1816)
Linois attacking the China Fleet
19-1/2 x 28-3/4 in. (49.53 x 73 cm.)
January 1805
Collections of the National Maritime Museum

Inscribed: "To the Commander of the Honorable East India Company's homeward bound Ships from China THIS VIEW of the Attack on them by the French Squadron...on 15th February 1804..."

After Robert Dodd (British, 1748-1816)
Repulse of the Linois by the China Fleet
19-1/2 x 28-3/4 in. (49.53 x 73 cm.)
January 1805
Collections of the National Maritime Museum

Inscribed: "This View, comprising Portraits of the several Ships in the Fleet, on that memorable day, making Sail in pursuit of the retreating enemy; Is with the greatest respect Inscribed to the respective Commanders, by their Obed.t Servant Rob.t Dodd."

At the Battle of Pulo Aura in 1804, a squadron of French naval ships commanded by Linois encountered the British China Fleet of lightly armed merchant ships. The British ships outnumbered Linois' forces, manoeuvred as though preparing to defend themselves, and some flew naval ensigns. The tactics of the convoy commodore Nathaniel Dance fooled Linois into believing that the British fleet was defended by naval escorts and he retired without attacking the virtually defenceless British.

Sir Nathaniel Dance (20 June 1748 – 25 March 1827) was an officer of the Honourable East India Company who had a long and varied career on merchant vessels and the the fleets of East Indiamen. His greatest achievement came during the Napoleonic Wars, when having been appointed commodore of one of the company's fleets, he came across a French squadron under Rear-Admiral Comte de Linois, which was raiding British shipping in the area.  He fooled Linois into believing that the British fleet was defended by naval escorts and he retired without attacking the virtually defenceless British.. Dance was hailed as a hero, lavishly rewarded with money and a knighthood, and spent the last years of his life in comfortable retirement.

Robert Dodd (1748–1815) was a British marine painter and aquatint engraver. He is known for his works on the French Revolutionary Wars. Living in Wapping, London, he had plenty of material to hand in the way of ships, docks and wharfs, and much of his work includes scenes of the River Thames and naval dockyards. Other themes include battles and actions of the French Revolutionary Wars and the American War of Independence. Much of his work was subsequently engraved by other artists. His use of light effects, particularly the contrasts between the sun's rays and the dark clouds, or the fire against the smoke of battle, convey the drama and activity of a sea battle. Although technically accurate and meticulous, his artistic talents were somewhat eclipsed by the greatest of his peers, and it is his contribution to the historical record that is his greatest legacy. More


William Daniell (1769–1837)
The fleet of the East India Company homeward bound from China engaging and repulsing a French squadron near the Straits of Malacca, on 15 February 1804.
20 September 1804

This painting: Commodore Dance's Indiamen (centre), protecting the merchant fleet (right), engage Admiral Linois's squadron (left)

Preview
Unknown
19th century
Etching
98 mm x 172 mm
National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London

Inscribed: The Gallant Commodore Dance beating off Admiral Linois' Squadron

Preview
Francis Sartorius (1734 – 5 March 1804)
Action between the China Fleet and a French squadron
William Barnard [engraver]
February 15th 1804
Aquatint, coloured
492 mm x 742 
National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London

Inscribed: 'To The Honorable... East India Company. This Print of the Action between the China Fleet... & a Squadron of French Ships of War... Linois, in the China Sea, on the 15th Feby 1804 representing the Commencing of the Attack led on by Capt. I.F. Timmins in the Royal George is... dedicated by... George Andrews'.

Francis Sartorius (1734 – 5 March 1804). Francis was the son and pupil of John Sartorius. He was a prolific and popular painter. Francis contributed 38 works for exhibition at various London galleries including twelve to the Royal Academy, 7 to the Society of Artists and 20 to the Free Society of Artists. He lived in London during the years he was exhibiting, finally residing in Soho, London. He died on 5 March 1804, in his 70th year. More

Preview
Action between the China Fleet and a French squadron
February 15th 1804

Inscribed: The China fleet heavily laden commanded by Commodore Sir Nathaniel Dance beating off Admiral Linois and his squadron the 15 February 1804
National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London

Linois's officers and the Emperor Napoleon personally castigated the French admiral for his failure to press the attack against a weaker and extremely valuable enemy. Although he remained in command of the squadron for another two years and had some minor success against undefended merchant ships, he suffered a string of defeats and inconclusive engagements against weaker British naval forces.

William Daniell (1769–1837)
Defeat of Adml. Linois by Commodore Dance, Feb. 15th. 
Thomas Sutherland (engraver)
20 September 1804
coloured aquatint
150 mm x 221 mm
Collections of the National Maritime Museum

William Daniell RA (1769–1837) was an English landscape and marine painter, and engraver. He travelled extensively in the Far East, helping to produce one of the finest illustrated volumes of the period – Oriental Scenery. He also travelled around the coastline of Britain to paint watercolours for the equally ambitious book A Voyage Round Great Britain. His work was exhibited at the Royal Academy and the British Institution and he became a Royal Academician in 1822

Defence of the Centurion in Vizagapatam Road
Sir James Lind
Defence of the Centurion in Vizagapatam Road, Septr. 15th 1804
Engraving by Thomas Sutherland, c. 1818
National Maritime Museum

The Battle of Vizagapatam was a minor naval engagement fought in the approaches to Vizagapatam harbour in the Coastal Andhra region of British India on the Bay of Bengal on 15 September 1804 during the Napoleonic Wars. A French squadron under Contre-Admiral Charles-Alexandre Durand Linois in the ship of the line Marengo attacked the British Royal Navy fourth rate ship HMS Centurion and two East Indiaman merchant ships anchored in the harbour roads. 

Since Pulo Aura, Linois had been cruising the Indian Ocean, and during August and September 1804 had seized a number of valuable merchant ships as his squadron travelled north from Ceylon along the Indian coast of the Bay of Bengal. Linois learned of the presence of the East Indiamen at Vizagapatam and determined to attackt. Arriving off the port at 06:00, Linois advanced on the convoy, causing one of the East Indiamen to drive ashore in panic. The other merchant vessel failed to support the outnumbered Centurion and was captured, but Centurion continued fighting alone. After an engagement lasting four hours Marengo withdrew, the badly damaged Centurion attempting to pursue but without success. Linois's squadron was forced to return to Île de France in the aftermath of the engagement, where Marengo required six months of repairs.


Capture of Marengo by HMS London

The capture of the French ship Marengo by HMS London on 13 March 1806.
Nineteenth century
National Maritime Museum


Marengo was taken into British service as HMS Marengo. She was used as a prison hulk from 1809 until she was broken up in 1816.

Returning to France, Linois encountered with the division of Vice-Admiral Sir John Warren, with seven ships of the line (including the 108-gun London, the 82-gun Ramillies and Repulse, and the 80-gun Foudroyant), two frigates (including the 48-gun Amazon) and one corvette. After a fierce duel with London, Marengo struck her colours; Belle Poule battled against Amazon and later against Ramilles, and had to surrender as well., Linois was wounded and captured. Napoleon had ended the practice of exchanging officers and Linois remained a prisoner of war until Napoleon fell in 1814. In 1810, while held by the British, Linois was named comte de Linois by Napoleon.



John Cleveley the elder
HMS 'Brune' Captures French Ship 'L'oiseau'
Oil on canvas, 74.5 x 119.8 cm
Southampton City Art Gallery



AcknowledgmentWikipedia

7 Artists Embedded with Napoleon's Navy in the Indian Ocean. 1803

Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand, Comte de Linois (27 January 1761 – 2 December 1848) was a French admiral during the time of Napoleon Bonaparte. In 1803 Napoleon appointed him to command the French forces in the Indian Ocean and, flying his flag aboard the 74-gun-ship Marengo (ex-Jean-Jacques Rousseau), he harried British merchant ships across the ocean and into the China Seas.


the Achille
Model, first quarter of the 1800s. Made following plans by Jacques-Noël Sané
1/33rd-scale model of the Achille
Musée national de la Marine

The Achille, sister-ship of French ship Marengo (1810).

Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy. In October 1796, under Captain Racord, she was part of the Villeneuve's squadron that sailed from Toulon to Brest. On 2 December 1802, she was renamed to Marengo (reflecting the political change from the Revolutionary Republic inspired by Jean-Jacques Rousseau to the advent of General (soon to be Emperor) Napoleon).


In 1803 she sailed to the Indian Ocean as Linois' flagship, notably taking part in the Battle of Pulo Aura and the Battle of Vizagapatam.

File:East Indiamen in a Gale.jpg
Charles Brooking (1723–1759)
This is a portrait of an East Indiaman in the foreground, in port-quarter view. The ship in the distance to the left approaches in starboard-bow view, heeling on the port tack under fore and main-course. 
Date circa 1759
National Maritime Museum, Greenwich

East Indiaman was a general name for any sailing ship operating under charter or licence to any of the East India Companies of the major European trading powers of the 17th through the 19th centuries. The term is therefore used to refer to vessels belonging to the Danish, Dutch, English, French, Portuguese, or Swedish East India companies. 

During the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars they were often painted to resemble warships; an attacker could not be sure if gunports were real or merely paint, and some Indiamen carried sizable armaments. The Royal Navy acquired several East Indiamen, turning them into fourth rates (e.g., HMS Weymouth and HMS Madras, described above), maintaining the confusion for military ships seeking merchant ships as prizes of war. More

Charles Brooking (c.1723–59) was an English painter of marine scenes. Brooking became much more widely known in 1754, when he was commissioned to paint A Flagship Before the Wind Under Easy Sail. This painting is a huge sea piece intended to "match" another painting, whereabouts unknown, said to be of a “Fleet in the Downs”, by Peter Monamy.


Brooking is said to have died of consumption on 25 March 1759, reportedly leaving his family destitute

File:John Cleveley the Elder - The East Indiaman 'Princess Royal'.jpg
John Cleveley the Elder circa 1712 - 1777
The East Indiaman‚ Princess Royal, c. 1770
Oil on canvas
75 × 111.5 cm (29.5 × 43.9 in)
National Maritime Museum

Princess Royal, launched in 1786, was an East Indiaman. She made two complete trips to India for the British East India Company and was on her third trip, this one to China, when French privateers or warships captured her on 27 September 1793. The French Navy took her into service in the Indian Ocean as a 34-gun frigate under the name Duguay Truin. The Royal Navy recaptured her and she returned to British merchant service. In 1797 she performed one more voyage for the EIC. She received a letter of marque in July 1798 but then disappears from readily available records. More

John Cleveley the Elder (c.1712 – 21 May 1777) was an English marine artist. He was born in Southwark. His father set him up as a carpenter or shipwright in around 1742. Continuing his work in that area throughout his life. From about 1745 he also worked as a painter, mostly ship portraits, dockyard scenes of shipbuilding and launches, and some other marine views. They combined his knowledge of shipbuilding with accurate architectural and topographical detail. Apparently mostly self-taught, it is possible that dockyard ship-painters also gave him some training in this area. He toured East Anglia, and produced some paintings from notes made on that trip. More

A pair of prints relating to the China Fleet action (2)
After Robert Dodd (British, 1748-1816)
Linois attacking the China Fleet
19-1/2 x 28-3/4 in. (49.53 x 73 cm.)
January 1805
Collections of the National Maritime Museum

Inscribed: "To the Commander of the Honorable East India Company's homeward bound Ships from China THIS VIEW of the Attack on them by the French Squadron...on 15th February 1804..."

After Robert Dodd (British, 1748-1816)
Repulse of the Linois by the China Fleet
19-1/2 x 28-3/4 in. (49.53 x 73 cm.)
January 1805
Collections of the National Maritime Museum

Inscribed: "This View, comprising Portraits of the several Ships in the Fleet, on that memorable day, making Sail in pursuit of the retreating enemy; Is with the greatest respect Inscribed to the respective Commanders, by their Obed.t Servant Rob.t Dodd."

At the Battle of Pulo Aura in 1804, a squadron of French naval ships commanded by Linois encountered the British China Fleet of lightly armed merchant ships. The British ships outnumbered Linois' forces, manoeuvred as though preparing to defend themselves, and some flew naval ensigns. The tactics of the convoy commodore Nathaniel Dance fooled Linois into believing that the British fleet was defended by naval escorts and he retired without attacking the virtually defenceless British.

Sir Nathaniel Dance (20 June 1748 – 25 March 1827) was an officer of the Honourable East India Company who had a long and varied career on merchant vessels and the the fleets of East Indiamen. His greatest achievement came during the Napoleonic Wars, when having been appointed commodore of one of the company's fleets, he came across a French squadron under Rear-Admiral Comte de Linois, which was raiding British shipping in the area.  He fooled Linois into believing that the British fleet was defended by naval escorts and he retired without attacking the virtually defenceless British.. Dance was hailed as a hero, lavishly rewarded with money and a knighthood, and spent the last years of his life in comfortable retirement.

Robert Dodd (1748–1815) was a British marine painter and aquatint engraver. He is known for his works on the French Revolutionary Wars. Living in Wapping, London, he had plenty of material to hand in the way of ships, docks and wharfs, and much of his work includes scenes of the River Thames and naval dockyards. Other themes include battles and actions of the French Revolutionary Wars and the American War of Independence. Much of his work was subsequently engraved by other artists. His use of light effects, particularly the contrasts between the sun's rays and the dark clouds, or the fire against the smoke of battle, convey the drama and activity of a sea battle. Although technically accurate and meticulous, his artistic talents were somewhat eclipsed by the greatest of his peers, and it is his contribution to the historical record that is his greatest legacy. More


William Daniell (1769–1837)
The fleet of the East India Company homeward bound from China engaging and repulsing a French squadron near the Straits of Malacca, on 15 February 1804.
20 September 1804

This painting: Commodore Dance's Indiamen (centre), protecting the merchant fleet (right), engage Admiral Linois's squadron (left)



Inscribed: 'To The Honorable... East India Company. This Print of the Action between the China Fleet... & a Squadron of French Ships of War... Linois, in the China Sea, on the 15th Feby 1804 representing the Commencing of the Attack led on by Capt. I.F. Timmins in the Royal George is... dedicated by... George Andrews'.

Francis Sartorius (1734 – 5 March 1804). Francis was the son and pupil of John Sartorius. He was a prolific and popular painter. Francis contributed 38 works for exhibition at various London galleries including twelve to the Royal Academy, 7 to the Society of Artists and 20 to the Free Society of Artists. He lived in London during the years he was exhibiting, finally residing in Soho, London. He died on 5 March 1804, in his 70th year. More


Linois's officers and the Emperor Napoleon personally castigated the French admiral for his failure to press the attack against a weaker and extremely valuable enemy. Although he remained in command of the squadron for another two years and had some minor success against undefended merchant ships, he suffered a string of defeats and inconclusive engagements against weaker British naval forces.

William Daniell (1769–1837)
Defeat of Adml. Linois by Commodore Dance, Feb. 15th. 
Thomas Sutherland (engraver)
20 September 1804
coloured aquatint
150 mm x 221 mm
Collections of the National Maritime Museum

William Daniell RA (1769–1837) was an English landscape and marine painter, and engraver. He travelled extensively in the Far East, helping to produce one of the finest illustrated volumes of the period – Oriental Scenery. He also travelled around the coastline of Britain to paint watercolours for the equally ambitious book A Voyage Round Great Britain. His work was exhibited at the Royal Academy and the British Institution and he became a Royal Academician in 1822

Defence of the Centurion in Vizagapatam Road
Sir James Lind
Defence of the Centurion in Vizagapatam Road, Septr. 15th 1804
Engraving by Thomas Sutherland, c. 1818
National Maritime Museum

The Battle of Vizagapatam was a minor naval engagement fought in the approaches to Vizagapatam harbour in the Coastal Andhra region of British India on the Bay of Bengal on 15 September 1804 during the Napoleonic Wars. A French squadron under Contre-Admiral Charles-Alexandre Durand Linois in the ship of the line Marengo attacked the British Royal Navy fourth rate ship HMS Centurion and two East Indiaman merchant ships anchored in the harbour roads. 

Since Pulo Aura, Linois had been cruising the Indian Ocean, and during August and September 1804 had seized a number of valuable merchant ships as his squadron travelled north from Ceylon along the Indian coast of the Bay of Bengal. Linois learned of the presence of the East Indiamen at Vizagapatam and determined to attackt. Arriving off the port at 06:00, Linois advanced on the convoy, causing one of the East Indiamen to drive ashore in panic. The other merchant vessel failed to support the outnumbered Centurion and was captured, but Centurion continued fighting alone. After an engagement lasting four hours Marengo withdrew, the badly damaged Centurion attempting to pursue but without success. Linois's squadron was forced to return to Île de France in the aftermath of the engagement, where Marengo required six months of repairs.


Capture of Marengo by HMS London

The capture of the French ship Marengo by HMS London on 13 March 1806.
Nineteenth century
National Maritime Museum


Marengo was taken into British service as HMS Marengo. She was used as a prison hulk from 1809 until she was broken up in 1816.

Returning to France, Linois encountered with the division of Vice-Admiral Sir John Warren, with seven ships of the line (including the 108-gun London, the 82-gun Ramillies and Repulse, and the 80-gun Foudroyant), two frigates (including the 48-gun Amazon) and one corvette. After a fierce duel with London, Marengo struck her colours; Belle Poule battled against Amazon and later against Ramilles, and had to surrender as well., Linois was wounded and captured. Napoleon had ended the practice of exchanging officers and Linois remained a prisoner of war until Napoleon fell in 1814. In 1810, while held by the British, Linois was named comte de Linois by Napoleon.




AcknowledgmentWikipedia

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

22 Artists Embedded With Napoleon's French Campaign In Egypt And Syria - Part I

Rumors became rife as 40,000 soldiers and 10,000 sailors were gathered in French Mediterranean ports. A large fleet was assembled at Toulon: 13 ships of the line, 14 frigates, and 400 transports. To avoid interception by the British fleet under Nelson, the expedition's target was kept secret. It was known only to Bonaparte himself, his generals.
Pierre Martinet (1781-?)
Boarding of the French army in Toulon to Egypt
Left: Bonaparte and his generals. 1798.

MARTINET, Pierre (born 1781). French Painter. Military subjects, scenes with figures. A student of Jacques Swebach, he submitted works to the Paris Salon from 1808 to 1812. He painted battle scenes and popular or fashionable subjects, treated in a lively way but also sometimes with a degree of confusion. More

On 19 May. Bonaparte's fleet embarked, from Toulon headed for Malta.  When the fleet arrived off Malta, Napoleon demanded that the Knights of Malta allow his fleet to enter the port and take on water and supplies. The island of Malta was an important strategic stronghold in the Mediterraenean Sea and Napoleon Bonaparte knew that controlling it would boost France's naval capacity in the region, particularly with the British Mediterranean Fleet under Admiral Horatio Nelson anchored in nearby Sicily.

The invading French fleet at Malta, 1798

Grand Master von Hompesch replied that only two foreign ships would be allowed to enter the port at a time. Under that restriction, revictualling the French fleet would take weeks, and it would be vulnerable to the British fleet of Admiral Nelson. Napoleon therefore ordered the invasion of Malta.

The French Revolution had significantly reduced the Knights of Malta's income and their ability to put up serious resistance. Half of the Knights were French, and most of these knights refused to fight.


Charles Etienne Pierre Motte (1785 - 1836)
Debarquement a l'Ile de Malte (Bonaparte landing on Malta)
Hand-coloured.; Medium includes gum arabic.
lithograph, coloured
399 mm x 517 mm
National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London

Charles Etienne Pierre Motte was a French lithographers and publisher during the first half of the 19th  century, (1785 - 1836).

French troops disembarked in Malta at seven points on the morning of 11 June. Gen. Louis Baraguey d'Hilliers landed soldiers and cannon in the western part of the main island of Malta, under artillery fire from Maltese fortifications. The French troops met some initial resistance but pressed forward. The Knights' ill-prepared force in that region, numbering only about 2,000, regrouped. The French pressed on with their attack. After a fierce gun battle lasting twenty-four hours, most of the Knights' force in the west surrendered.


Sir William Quiller Orchardson 1832–1910
Napoleon on Board the Bellerophon 1880
Oil paint on canvas
1651 x 2489 mm
Tate

Sir William Quiller Orchardson RA (Edinburgh 27 March 1832 – 13 April 1910 London) was a noted Scottish portraitist and painter of domestic and historical subjects who was knighted in June 1907, at the age of 75. More

Napoleon then opened negotiations. Faced with vastly superior French forces and the loss of western Malta, von Hompesch surrendered the main fortress of Valletta.


Capture of Malta by General Bonaparte, commanding the French fleet, June 12, 1798.

Thirteen days after leaving Malta and continuing to successfully elude detection by the Royal Navy for the time being, the fleet was in sight of Alexandria, where it landed on 1 July, though his plan had been to land elsewhere. 


Guillaume-François Colson (1785–1850)
Feeder Napoleon In Alexandria On 3 July 1798 His grace towards an Arab family
c. 1812
Oil on canvas
365 × 500 cm (143.7 × 196.9 in)
National Museum of Versailles


Guillaume François Colson, (1785–1850), a French historical painter,was born in Paris in 1785, and died there in 1860.

Bonaparte left Alexandria on 6 July. General Dugua marched on Rosetta, with orders to seize and hold the entrance to the port housing the French fleet, which had to follow the route to Cairo down the river's left bank and rejoin the army at Rahmanié. On 8 July, Bonaparte arrived at Demenhour, where he found the forces had met up, and awaited the fleet with their provisions. The fleet arrived on 12 July and the army began to march again at night, followed by the fleet.

Sudden heavy winds forced the fleet to the army's left and straight into the enemy fleet, which was supported by musket fire from 4,000 Mamluks, reinforced by peasants and Arabs. The French fleet had numerical superiority but still lost its gunboats to the enemy. Attracted by the sound of gunfire, Bonaparte ordered his land force to the charge and attacked the village of Chebreiss, which was captured after two hours of fierce fighting. The enemy fled in disorder towards Cairo, leaving 600 dead on the battlefield.


Louis-François Baron Lejeune 001.jpg
Louis-François, Baron Lejeune (1775–1848)
The Battle of the Pyramids, 1808
Oil on canvas
National Museum of Versailles

Louis-François, Baron Lejeune (3 February 1775, Strasbourg – 29 February 1848) was a French general, painter, and lithographer. His memoirs have frequently been republished and his name is engraved on the Arc de Triomphe. More

After a day's rest at Chebreiss, the French land force continued the pursuit. On 20 July, it arrived half a mile from the village of Embabé. There Bonaparte drew up his 25,000 troops for battle approximately nine miles (15 km) from the Pyramids of Giza. 


Wojciech Kossak (1857–1942)
Battle of the Pyramids
Date 1896
Oil on canvas
70 × 105 cm (27.6 × 41.3 in)
Current location
National Museum in Warsaw

Wojciech Kossak (Paris, France, December 31, 1856 – July 29, 1942, Kraków, Poland) was a Polish painter and member of the celebrated Kossak family of painters and writers. More

This was the start of the so-called Battle of the Pyramids, also known as the Battle of Embabeh, a French victory over an enemy force of about 21,000 Mamluks. The French defeated the Mamluk cavalry with a giant infantry square, with cannons and supplies safely on the inside. In all 300 French and approximately 6,000 Egyptians were killed. The battle gave rise to dozens of stories and drawings.


Francois-Louis-Joseph Watteau (1758–1823)
The Battle of the Pyramids
c. 1798-1799
Oil on canvas
94 × 120.4 cm (37 × 47.4 in)
Museum of Fine Arts, Valenciennes

François Louis Joseph Watteau (18 August 1758, Lille – 1 December 1823, Lille), known like his father as the Watteau of Lille, was a French painter, active in his birthplace. From 1808 to his death he was deputy curator of the Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille, which his father had helped to found. More

Antoine-Jean Gros (1771–1835)
Battle of the Pyramids, July 21, 1798
c. 1810
Oil on canvas 389 x 311 cm
National Museum of Versailles

Antoine-Jean Gros (16 March 1771 – 25 June 1835), Baron Gros, also known as Jean-Antoine Gros, was both a French history and neoclassical painter. More

Before the Sphinx  1867-1868
Oil on canvas
Hearst Castle

On 22 July, the notables of Cairo came to Giza to meet Bonaparte and offered to hand over the city to him. Three days later, he moved his main headquarters there. 

Léon Cogniet (1794–1880)
The 1798 Egyptian Expedition Under the Command of Bonaparte
Date 1835
Oil on canvas
Ceiling at the Musée du Louvre

Léon Cogniet (29 August 1794, Paris – 20 November 1880, Paris) was a French history and portrait painter. He is probably best remembered as a teacher, with over one hundred well-known students. More

On 1 August Nelson discovered the French warships anchored in a strong defensive position in the Bay of Abukir. The French believed that they were open to attack only on one side, the other side being protected by the shore. 

File:Whitcombe - Battle of the Nile- start of the battle.jpg
Thomas Whitcombe (1763–1824)
The opening stages of the Battle of the Nile, 1798.
1 March 1816; published: 1817
Color aquatint
21.5 × 30 cm (8.5 × 11.8 in)
National Maritime Museum

Thomas Whitcombe (possibly 19 May 1763 – circa 1824) was a prominent British maritime painter of the Napoleonic Wars. Among his work are over 150 actions of the Royal Navy, and he exhibited at the Royal Academy, the British Institution and the Royal Society of British Artists. More

Nicholas Pocock (1741–1821)
The Battle of the Nile, 1 August 1798
c. 1808
Oil on canvas
71.12 × 101.2 cm (28 × 39.8 in)
National Maritime Museum

Nicholas Pocock (2 March 1740 – 9 March 1821) was a British artist known for his many detailed paintings of naval battles during the age of sail. More

However, during the Battle of the Nile the arriving British fleet under Horatio Nelson managed to slip half of their ships in between the land and the French line, thus attacking from both sides. In a few hours 11 out of the 13 French ships of the line and 2 out of the 4 French frigates were captured or destroyed; the four remaining ships fled. 

Daniel Orme (1766-circa 1832)
Nelson coming on deck at the battle of the Nile, 1 August 1798
circa 1800
Oil on canvas
149.86 × 198.12 cm (59 × 78 in)
National Maritime Museum

Daniel Orme (1766–circa 1832) was an artist in England. He was born in Manchester in 1766. His father encouraged his interest in an artistic career. From 1785 to 1814 he lived in London, during which he studied at the Royal Academy. He became a painter and engraver in London. In 1814 he moved back to Manchester. He has two paintings in the National Maritime Museum. More

Thomas Luny (1759–1837)
The Battle of the Nile, August 1st 1798
c. 1830
Oil on canvas
84 × 128 cm (33.1 × 50.4 in)

Thomas Luny (1759–1837), born in Cornwall, was an English artist and painter, mostly of seascapes and other marine-based works. Specimens of his work are exhibited at the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich, in the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter, and at The Mariners' Museum in Newport News, Virginia. More

File:The Battle of the Nile.jpg
George Arnald (1763 – 1841)
The Destruction of "L'Orient" at the Battle of the Nile, 1 August 1798
c. 1825-27
Oil on canvas
185.5 × 269 cm (73 × 105.9 in)
National Maritime Museum

George Arnald ARA (1763 – 21 November 1841) was a British painter who specialised in landscapes, including topographical views to illustrated county histories. He is best known for his celebrated painting depicting the Battle of the Nile. More

Mather Brown (1761–1831)
A painting of the height of the Battle of the Nile, 1798
Date 1825
Oil on canvas
103.4 × 123.2 cm (40.7 × 48.5 in)
National Maritime Museum

Mather Brown (baptized October 11, 1761 – May 25, 1831) was a portrait and historical painter, born in Boston, Massachusetts, but active in England. More

This frustrated Bonaparte's goal of strengthening the French position in the Mediterranean Sea, and instead put it totally under British control. 


File:Luny Thomas Battle Of The Nile August 1st 1798 At 10pm.jpg
Thomas Luny (1759–1837)
Battle of the Nile, August 1st 1798 at 10 pm, c. 1834
Oil on canvas
70.5 × 45 cm (27.8 × 17.7 in)

Thomas Luny (1759–1837), born in Cornwall, probably at St Ewe, was an English artist and painter, mostly of seascapes and other marine-based works. 


Philip James de Loutherbourg (1740–1812)
The Battle of the Nile
National Maritime Museum

After the naval defeat at Aboukir, Bonaparte's campaign remained land-bound. However, his army still succeeded in consolidating power in Egypt, although it faced repeated nationalist uprisings, and Napoleon began to behave as absolute ruler of all Egypt.


Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824–1904)
General Bonaparte in Cairo
Napoleon in Egypt
circa 1863
Oil on panel
35.8 × 25 cm (14.1 × 9.8 in)
Princeton University Art Museum


In a largely unsuccessful effort to gain the support of the Egyptian population, Bonaparte issued proclamations that cast him as a liberator of the people from Ottoman and Mamluk oppression, praising the precepts of Islam and claiming friendship between France and the Ottoman Empire. 



Alexandre-Marie Colin
Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) Celebrating the Birthday of the Prophet Mohammed during his Campaign on Egypt (1798-1801)

Alexandre-Marie Colin, (1798-1875) a French painter of historical and genre subjects, was born in Paris in 1798. He was a pupil of Girodet. His religious and historical paintings are characterised by a style based on a careful study of the old masters, while his genre pieces are vigorous and lifelike. Amongst these latter may be noticed his 'French Fish-Market' (1832) in the Berlin Gallery, and his 'Gipsies Resting.' Amongst the former may be named a 'Christopher Columbus,' a 'Flight into Egypt,' and an 'Assumption of the Virgin.' He died in 1875. More


Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson, French, 1767-1824
The Revolt of Cairo
c. 1810
Oil and ink on paper, laid down on canvas
12 1/8 x 17 3/4 in. (30.8 x 45.1 cm)
Art Institute of Chicago

Anne-Louis Girodet de Roucy-Trioson, (January 5, 1767 – December 9, 1824) was a French painter and pupil of Jacques-Louis David, who was part of the beginning of the Romantic movement by adding elements of eroticism through his paintings. Girodet is remembered for his precise and clear style and for his paintings of members of the Napoleonic family. More

This could however not prevent the growing anti-French sentiments because the use of alcohol and unveiling of woman was introduced to a muslim community. Ultimately this led to a revolt in which the ‘infidels’ were to be slaughtered. Napoleon drove the insurgents back to the main mosque of Caïro using his artillery.


Levy, Henri Leopold (1840-1904)
Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) in the Grand Mosque at Cairo
Oil on canvas
Musee des Beaux-Arts, Mulhouse, France

Henri Léopold Lévy (23 September 1840,  29 December 1904) was a French painter. Lévy came from a family of artisans, his father was a sought-after interior designers. He attended the École des Beaux-Arts, where he was, among other things, a student of Alexandre Cabanel, Eugène Fromentin and François-Édouard Picot. He was awarded a gold medal at the 1965 the Salon de Paris.


The French forces killed thousands of Egyptians and to restore order, Napoleon executed some surviving insurgents with public beheadings. French losses of 300 soldiers still were minimal compared to the Egyptian losses. While secretly the remaining prisoners in Cairo were beheaded and thrown in the river at night, Napoleon granted pardon to local sheiks and imans of the El Azhar mosque speaking the words : “I know that many of you have been weak, but I like to believe that none of you is guilty”.

Pierre-Narcisse Guérin (1774–1833)
Bonaparte fait grace aux revolutes du Caire 23. Octobre 1798
Napoleon Bonaparte Pardoning the Rebels at Cairo, 23rd October 1798
c. 1808
Oil on canvas
365 × 500 cm (143.7 × 196.9 in)
Palace of Versailles


Pierre-Narcisse, baron Guérin, (Paris 13 May 1774 – 6 July 1833) was a greatly honored French painter. Baron Guérin died, on 6 July 1833, and was buried in the church of La Trinité de Monti by the side of Claude Lorrain. More

Bonaparte_aux_pyramides_Orange
Maurice Orange (1867-1916)
Napoleon with the Savants Contemplates the Antiquities of Egypt 
Date 1885 and 1916
Musée du Vieux Granville


Maurice Orange (9 March 1867, Granville - 28 February 1916, Paris) was a French painter and artist. He gained a scholarship to the École des Beaux-Arts in 1885, where he studied under Jean-Léon Gerome and François Flameng. He was mainly inspired by historical subjects, especially the Napoleonic era, though he also produced portraits, landscapes, townscapes and sketches, often adding drawings to his letters.

From 1887 to 1914 he took part in the Salon des Artistes Français. He won medals and travel bursaries to Spain, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Africa and above all Egypt became a major influences on him. He worked in oils, watercolour, gouache, pastel and charcoal. He died of typhoid fever in 1916. More

Napoleon discovered the strength of the dromedary as a transportation tool. The dromedary used by Napoleon was transported to the Paris zoo and after his demise embalmed in the African museum. In January 1799, Napoleon instituted the dromedary regiment formed of 4 squadrons of 100 man each.  The regiment were considered mounted infantry, not cavalry, and fought dismounted.


Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824–1904)
Napoleon and his General Staff in Egypt
Oil on panel
23 x 34 in (58.4 x 88.2 cm)
Private Collector

Then, accompanied by his colleagues from the Institut, Berthollet, Monge, Le Père, Dutertre, Costaz, Caffarelli, and followed by a 300-man escort, Bonaparte set out for the Red Sea and after three days' marching across the desert he and his caravan arrived at Suez. After giving orders to complete the fortifications at Suez, Bonaparte crossed the Red Sea and on 28 December 1798 moved into Sinai to look for the celebrated fountains of Moses 17 kilometres from Suez. 

Despite all the important scientific work that was done by his scientists with the discovery of the Rosetta stone as a major contribution to egyptology, they made one big mistake in estimating the feasability of constructing the Suez canal. The team assumed a height difference between the red sea and the mediterranean water level which would endanger the Egyptian delta with flooding in case of a direct connection.

When the Ottomans in Constantinople received news of the French fleet's destruction at Aboukir, they believed this spelled the end for Bonaparte and his expedition. Sultan Selim III decided to wage war against France, and sent two armies to Egypt. The Ottomans planned two offensives against Cairo: from Syria, across the desert of Salhayeh-Belbays-El Kankah, and from Rhodes by sea landing in the Aboukir area or the port city of Damietta.

Part II


Acknowledgement: Wikipedia19th Century Realism