''The Battle of Alexandria'' is an oil on canvas

history painting History painting is a genre in painting defined by its subject matter rather than any artistic style or specific period. History paintings depict a moment in a narrative story, most often (but not exclusively) Greek and Roman mythology and B ...

by the French-born British

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating the work of art. The most common usage (in both everyday speech and academic discourse) refers to a practitioner in the visual arts o ...

Philip James de Loutherbourg Philip James de Loutherbourg, RA (born Philippe Jacques de Loutherbourg; 31 October 174011 March 1812) was a French-born British painter who became known for his large naval works, his elaborate set designs for London theatres, and his invent ...

, from 1802. It is held at the

Scottish National Gallery The National (formerly the Scottish National Gallery) is the national art gallery of Scotland. It is located on The Mound in central Edinburgh, close to Princes Street. The building was designed in a neoclassical style by William Henry Play ...

, in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

History and description

The artist was well known for his scenes of naval and land battles. He set this work around the Battle of Alexandria in March 1801, when a British army allied to the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

defeated French forces that had invaded Egypt under

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

three years earlier. Reminiscent of the battle scenes popularised by

Benjamin West Benjamin West (October 10, 1738 – March 11, 1820) was a British-American artist who painted famous historical scenes such as ''The Death of Nelson (West painting), The Death of Nelson'', ''The Death of General Wolfe'', the ''Treaty of Paris ( ...

's '' Death of General Wolfe'' thirty years earlier, the painting focuses on the British high command while the battle rages in the background. The British commander

Ralph Abercromby Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom), Lieutenant-General Sir Ralph Abercromby, (7 October 173428 March 1801) was a British Army officer, politician and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Trinidad in 1797. Rising to the rank ...

, an experienced Scottish general, has been fatally wounded and is shown slumped back. Gathered around him are various other senior officers including his successor the Irish general John Hely-Hutchinson as well as Robert Anstruther, John Moore, John Abercromby, Lord Ludlow, Eyre Coote and the naval officer Sir Sidney Smith. Hely-Hutchinson succeeded him as commander and oversaw the successful

Siege of Cairo The siege of Cairo, also known as the Cairo campaign, was a siege that took place during the French Revolutionary Wars, between French and British with Ottoman forces and was the penultimate action of the Egyptian Campaign. British commander ...

that ended with a complete French surrender in Egypt. It is now in the collection of the

National Galleries of Scotland The National Galleries of Scotland (, sometimes also known as National Galleries Scotland) is the executive non-departmental public body that controls the three national galleries of Scotland and two partner galleries, forming one of the Nation ...

, having been purchased in 1986. Another artist Charles Orme also notably depicted the battle.Reid p.66

References

Bibliography

* Dziennik, Matthew P. ''The Fatal Land: War, Empire, and the Highland Soldier in British America''. Yale University Press, 2015. * Nester, William R. ''Titan: The Art of British Power in the Age of Revolution and Napoleon''. University of Oklahoma Press, 2016 * Reid, Stuart. ''Egypt 1801: The End of Napoleon's Eastern Empire''. Frontline Books, 2021. {{DEFAULTSORT:Battle of Alexandria, The Paintings by Philip James de Loutherbourg 1802 paintings Paintings in National Galleries Scotland French invasion of Egypt and Syria in art

History and description

See also

References

Bibliography