1744 - 1813
Canadian
Rear Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson
oil on canvas, 1807 - 1808
on verso titled on the National Gallery of Canada exhibition label
82 3/4 x 53 3/4 in, 210.2 x 136.5 cm
Estimate: $70,000 - $90,000 CAD
Sold for: $121,250
Preview at: Heffel Toronto – 13 Hazelton Ave
PROVENANCE
Commissioned by William McGillivray for the North West Company
Collection of the Hudson’s Bay Company, Canada
LITERATURE
Margaret Arnett MacLeod, “The Riddle of the Paintings,” The Beaver, December 1948, reproduced page 7
John Andre, William Berczy: Co-founder of Toronto, 1967, discussed pages 89 – 90, titled as Admiral Horatio Nelson, reproduced unpaginated plate
Mary Macaulay Allodi et al., Berczy, National Gallery of Canada, 1991, discussed pages 202 – 204, reproduced page 203 and the related etching reproduced page 204
EXHIBITED
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Berczy, November 8, 1991 – January 5, 1992, traveling to the Musée du Québec, Quebec City, March 17 – May 17, 1992, and Glenbow Museum, Calgary, June 13 – August 9, 1992, catalogue #73
Rear Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson is a near-life-size portrait of the decorated Royal Navy officer standing on the shore as the battle rages in the seas behind him—a continuation of William von Moll Berczy’s depiction of the critical Battle of Trafalgar (lot 23). He wears the Star and Ribbon of the Order of the Bath on the breast of his uniform and the Naval Gold Medal around his neck, awarded for his victory at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent in 1797. As was common for the period, the painting was based on an etching. The etching by William S. Barnard (1774 – 1849), dated 1799, borrowed from official portraits by Lemuel Francis Abbott (1760 – 1803) that Nelson himself sat for. Berczy has memorialized the admiral in a strong stance, updating the features of the etching to convey the importance of Nelson’s contributions in battle to help solidify the naval power of the British Empire.
This work can also be seen in a calendar painting depicting an 1836 council meeting at Norway House (lot 17), marking its significance in the history of the Hudson’s Bay Company.
For more information on William von Moll Berczy in PDF format, please click here.
Estimate: $70,000 - $90,000 CAD
All prices are in Canadian Dollars
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