The Droits de L'Homme by James Lynn

[anteros_lmc]

Last week Bonhams auctioned a painting of the iconic engagement between the Indefatigable, Amazon and Droits de L'Homme by marine painter John Lynn. I had never come across Lynn, who the catalogue describes as...

"...a painter of shipping and coastal scenes. He exhibited at the British Institution from 1828 to– 1838 and he also exhibited at the

Comments

[eglantine_br]

I can feel the terror, from here. That is an amazing painting. Poor poor men.

[rum_inspector]

I honestly can't see terror. It's rather strangely beautiful, eerie scene. Something everyone would love having in their wall. Until they learn the story behind it. Just like the photo of a suicide girl by Robert Wiles

[eglantine_br]

For me it is the color of the water, I don't know-- you can sort of see how really helpless the ships are, cut off from the land, cut off from each other.

I agree it is eerie and lovely. But the power of the water scares me.

[anteros_lmc]

Yes I think that's definitely true. This is one of the few paintings of the engagement I've seen that gives a realistic idea of the intensity of the storm

[vespican]

I'd hazard to guess that INDY is the center vessel, the one seen nearly broadside. The one to the left appears to be a frigate of normal construction. Smoke and spray hides Indy's quarter galleries, but they would have been a deck higher than normal, resulting from having been razeed from a 64.
Dave

[anteros_lmc]

It's hard to tell without seeing the stern of the centre ship. You're right about the Indefatigable of course, she was readily distinguished by having a stern gallery on the same level as her quarterdeck.

[eglantine_br]

I cannot tell which way the wind is coming from. I may be over thinking this but the Indy is never broached to, is she?

[vespican]

My thought is that the wind is coming from the right, perhaps blowing a little toward the observer. Indy and Droits de L'Homme are both before the wind. Amazon appears to be on a starboard reach or tack.
Dave
PS A fun part of writing battle scenes...diagramming the movements of the vessels in relationship to each other and the wind.

[anteros_lmc]

You're right! According to John Gaze, the Droits de L'Homme ran before the wind during the entire 10 hours of the engagement and never once changed her course. Because the frigates' masts were less damaged than the 74's they kept running ahead of the larger vessel and continually had to wear across her bows. At one point, not wearing fast enough, the bowsprit of the French ship came very close to the stern of the Indefatigable almost running her down.

PS A fun part of writing battle scenes...diagramming the movements of the vessels in relationship to each other and the wind.
I once saw a fascinating interview with Geoff Hunt, where he explained how he reconstructed engagement and ship movements from masters logs. He had a planning board with maps, compass, wind vane and little model wooden ships that he used to work out the vessels' relative positions before he started work on the actual painting.

[eglantine_br]

Yes-- that makes more sense.