December 10-13, 2024 Firearms & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/10/2024
After James Jefferys. "The Scene before Gibraltar ... 14th of September 1782." Line engraving on paper, 19 1/4 x 26 3/4 inches (view). "Published as the Act Directs, October 7th. 1789, by J. Emes, & E. Woollett, London, & by W. Jefferys, Maidstone, Kent." A rare untitled proof state. This print records the defeat of the Spanish and French fleets following the Siege of Gibraltar, an unsuccessful attempt to capture the island from the British. The Governor of Gibraltar, General George Augustus Eliott, is seen directing British sailors and marines to rescue the defeated troops. They pull men from the sea while others pray for their safety. The floating battery burning in the background and firing a cannon was the secret weapon of the Spanish fleet. It consisted of a hull, which held a timber box, packed with layers of wet sand to protect it from fire. CONDITION: Not examined out of the frame; a good clean copy, apparently cropped just inside the platemark top and sides, perhaps in a little at bottom.