A remarkable trio of scenes featuring the naval victories of British Lord George Brydges Rodney against Spanish and French Navies. Admiral Rodney's fleet defeated Don Langara's Spanish Armada off Cape St. Vincent on the coast of Spain in 1780, and was victorious in the final naval battle of the American Revolutionagainst the French ships following Comte de Grasse.
Shown in each scene is Lord Rodney's First-Rate flagship FORMIDABLE sailing into the Spanish and French Lines with cannon blazing, alongside other British Navy warships. Such ships were the pinnacle of sailing warfare. Marvelous details exist in these works. Serres expanded British Naval art sensibilities with his artistic vision. The coloration with sky blue and vivid reds more than 200 years later is fantastic. These decisive British victories were quite popular with English nobility, and the later marks an evolutionary combat tactic between Line to Line ship .
Thirty-five British warships led by Lord Rodney had been in pursuit of French ships for three days when they fell in with the squadron of 33 French warships in the West Indies near Dominica. This French fleet is the same that blockaded the retreat of the British Army at Yorktown and set it motion the events that turned the war and culminated in the American victory for independence. The French fleet had allied with Spanish forces and were preparing to attack Jamaica. After slicing through with raking fire, the British attacked the unprepared French leeward. In disarray, they fled, with heavy causalities and five ships captured. Two resounding British victories.
