Rescue

[anteros_lmc]

This could almost be a story board for the scene in The Even Chance where the Indefatigable's boats pick up the survivors from Justinian and Horatio unwittingly kicks off the chain of events that leads to Archie's loss during the cutting out of the Papillion.


In actual fact this is a preparatory sketch by J T Serres for a series of engravings of the Battle of Trafalgar, drawn in 1806. The aquatint itself is rather wonderful but I think I actually prefer the preparatory sketch, there's something very evocative about it.



This acquaint is one of a set of four currently being sold for £5,000 by Storey's Ltd antique print dealers. You can see the rest of the set here.

Comments

[charliecochrane.livejournal.com]

Aw, how fabby.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Nice intit? :)

[julian-griffith.livejournal.com]

The sketch reminds me of the ones I've seen in WWI letters home. I admire it.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Yes, there's something really quite timeless about the sketch isn't there? I'd love to have a copy of it.

[lady-branwyn.livejournal.com]

Yes, the sketch has an urgency about it that the acquatint doesn't. (Though I often prefer the artist's preliminary sketches to final works, lol.)

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

There's something really immediate about the sketch isn't there? I came across the sketch a while ago but I only discovered the finished painting when I went to post this on Sunday. Like you, I definitely prefer the sketch.

[eglantine-br.livejournal.com]

As Cleveland said-- they had to do it. Now and forever we are united by and against the sea.

Serres is growing on me. And I agree, the sketch is the better piece.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

Yes. Cleveland is indisputably right. They had to do it. Though I'm sure that was cold comfort for Horatio.

The more I see of Serres work the more I prefer his sketches and watercolours. The work that he produced when he sailed with the Brest inshore squadron in 1800 has a stunning simplicity to it that his "set pieces", such as the Trafalgar print above, lack. Having siad that, if someone offerred to buy that set for me, I wouldn't turn my nose up at them!

[esmerelda-t.livejournal.com]

I prefer the black and white sketch too, the proper one is a bit blah, there's nothing particularly special about it.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

I agree. I only came across the finished work when I went to post this on Sunday, the difference in quality is quite striking really.

[nodbear.livejournal.com]

Serres = win . every time !

though I also feel sad that he struggled so badly for money and now his work goes for big sums - often the way of course.

thank you for posting

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

I know, it's rather sad isn't it? And I can't help wondering if the Trafalgar series was done purely to generate a bit of income. The finished work above has none of the immediacy of his Brest profiles, don't you think?

[eglantine-br.livejournal.com]

Picturing Mr. Serres, a little bemused by his new fangirls.

[anteros-lmc.livejournal.com]

I think he would be very bemused! Particularly if he knew we'd been writing fanfic about him!

[hyarrowen.livejournal.com]

By gosh, he could draw at speed. I wonder if the Hornblower team knew of this sketch, and of the rest of his work?