José Ferre-Clauzel (b. 1961)

[Siege of Pensacola]

Oil on Canvas

Signed to lower right 

Visible 23 3/8 x 17 3/4 in., framed to 24 13/16 x 19 5/16 in.

A well-composed and dramatic depiction of the Siege of Pensacola, an important victory in Spain's involvement in the American Revolutionary War. At the foreground, an officer grasps his saber and orders his men, both white and Black soldiers, to fire at the unseen British enemy. Their regimental colors bearing the arms of Castile and Leon dominate the upper left. The savage Florida landscape is deftly portrayed, with gnarled trees contrasting with stately palms. 

The soldiers wear the white and pale blue infantry uniforms and distinctive fur shakos of the Galvez Army. Notably, the painting also includes Black soldiers wearing red jackets and white pants, the uniform of the Coloured Volunteer Infantry of Santo Domingo and the Company of Free Blacks of Havana. (The Army of Spain in Colonial North America, 1760-1790. Uniformology.)

In the early days of the American Revolution, Spanish King Charles III decided that covert assistance to the United States would be strategically useful, but did not enter into a formal alliance. 

They initially traded with the Americans for desperately needed supplies, as the British blockade shut off colonial ports. The Spanish control of New Orleans and the Mississippi River, however, was unimpeded. In 1779, Bernardo de Gálvez seized the province of West Florida (also known as the Florida Parishes) from the British. 

Finally, on 21 June 1779, Spain formally declared war on Great Britain, and Gálvez won a series of victories against British colonial forces, including the Battle of Baton Rouge, which freed the lower Mississippi Valley and relieved New Orleans from the British threat. The most important military victory was the capture of Pensacola, the capital of West Florida, by land and sea on 8 May 1781. 

Note: This lot cannot be packaged and shipped in-house. Successful bidders winning items marked as being packaged and shipped by a third-party service are responsible for paying the third party directly. We are happy to offer complimentary drop-off service to local third-party packing/shipping companies in Columbus, Ohio.

[American Revolutionary War, American Revolution, Founding Fathers, Declaration of Independence, Colonial America, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, James Monroe] [Spain, Spanish Empire, Spanish Colonialism, Seven Years War, Florida, Florida History]