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Comtemporay paintings of late 17th century French Warship

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  • Member since
    April 2004
Comtemporay paintings of late 17th century French Warship
Posted by Chuck Fan on Sunday, January 29, 2006 11:59 PM
Does anyone know of any comtempoary paintings of late 17th century warship that he/she can point me to?

I like to know of the likely coloration of hull of French warships of the era.

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Monterey Bay, CA
Posted by schoonerbumm on Monday, January 30, 2006 1:42 AM

Although there were excellent marine painters in 18th Century France,  finding 17th Century French marine paintings is a challenge. Marine painting at this time was primarily a Dutch pursuit (even in England).  Louis XIV was primarily interested in classical paintings that reflected the grandeur of himself and his reign. His 'marine works of art' were the richly  ornamented ships of his infant navy. According to one art historian, "The vessels were works of art in themselves, rather than subjects for the picture painter".  There were a few painters, notably Peter Puget (1620-1694) and Claude Gellee a.k.a. Claude La Lorrain (1600-1682) who recorded marine or harbor themes. You might try web searches or check with the art department of a local university. I have seen their work in art books, but only reproduced in B/W.

The English and French fleets did fight in the last decade of the 17th Century, but I think English paintings of the battles (Bantry, Beachy Head and Barfleur) were executed decades after the battles, and therefore may be of quesionable accuracy.

Best bet for finding sources is the Musee de Marine in Paris. When I was in Paris, I did see a couple of books on French marine art, in French of course, but I don't recall seeing anything on this side of the pond (I didn't buy any, opting instead for several volumes from Msr. Boudriot - suitcase only holds so much).

What are you looking for specifically? I can check my libraries and see what I can find.

 

Alan

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." Benjamin Franklin

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