1813.40
Sea Fight
Artist
Adrien Manglard
(1695 (active in Italy) - 1760)
Title
Sea Fight
Creation Date
1725-1750
Century
mid-18th century
Dimensions
21 1/2 in. x 34 1/2 in. (54.61 cm x 87.63 cm)
Object Type
painting
Creation Place
Europe, France
Medium and Support
oil on canvas
Credit Line
Bequest of the Honorable James Bowdoin III
Copyright
This artwork may be under copyright. For further information, please consult the Museum’s
Copyright Terms and Conditions.
Accession Number
1813.40
A French painter and engraver, Adrien Manglard worked in Rome for much of his life and became renowned for his maritime paintings. This picture celebrates European maritime dominance, depicting a naval battle between Turkish and European ships, perhaps one of the Venetian wars against the Ottomans. Manglard uses the subject of ships engaged in battle to display his mastery of the atmospheric effects of light and smoke. The yellow sky and massive black ship, looming in the foreground, contribute to the picture’s ominous mood. A member of important European art academies, he secured a wide patronage. James Bowdoin III likely acquired this picture while in France, reflecting his attention to the importance of bringing European fine art to America. Sea Fight was among the approximately seventy European and American paintings that Bowdoin bequeathed to the College at his death in 1811.
Object Description
naval battle between Turkish and European ships
