The Battle of Lepanto (7th October 1571)
Italian School
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
circa 1600 - 1615 - 1618
Materials
Oil on canvas
Measurements
2375 x 3916 mm (93 ½ x 154 in)
Place of origin
Italy
Order this imageCollection
Ham House, Surrey
NT 1139664
Caption
This painting is likely to have been part of William Murray`s own collection. It shows a major sea battle fought between The Christian Alliance and the Ottoman Empire in October 1571 and was the last sea battle fought using oared vessels.The painting was conserved in 2013-14.
Summary
Oil painting on canvas, The Battle of Lepanto (7th October 1571), Italian School, circa 1600. Previously attributed to Cornelis Vroom the younger (Haarlem c.1591 - Haarlem 1661), circa 1615/18.
Full description
The painting of the Battle of Lepanto by Domenico Tintoretto in the Sala dello Scrutinio of the Doge’s Palace in Venice mentioned by Mrs Roundell is actually by Andrea Vicentino (1539-1614), painted after the fire of 1577. More research is necessary to identify other Italian depictions of the battle. Somewhat surprisingly, it was a Northern artist, Andries van Eertvelt (1590-1652), who made a speciality of painting the battle, many years after it took place. This probably stemmed, however, from his activity in Genoa between 1627 and 1630; Giovanni Andrea Doria had commanded 53 galleys in the battle, on behalf of the Holy League. A small painting on copper was auctioned at Christie’s, London, on 6 July 2007, lot 137; large paintings on canvas are in the Museum voor Schonen Kunst, Ghent, and in a private collection (auctioned at Sotheby’s, Amsterdam, 18 May 2010, lot 35) – the latter dated 1640. There is also a large painting on canvas in the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, signed by an otherwise unknown ‘H. Letter’, which, though based on a Venetian engraving of 1571/2, depicts the encounter between the Christian right wing under Gianandrea Doria and the Turkish left under Uluj-Ali, and whose inscription suggests that it may have been painted for a member of the Genoese Negroni family.
Provenance
Formerly in the collection of King Charles I; in 1677 inventory as 'One great Picture of ye battel of Lepanto wt a carv’d frame'; and thence by descent until acquired in 1948 by HM Government when Sir Lyonel, 4th Bt (1854 – 1952) and Sir Cecil Tollemache, 5th Bt (1886 – 1969) presented Ham House to the National Trust, and entrusted to the care of the Victoria & Albert Museum, until 1990, when returned to the care of the National Trust, and to which ownership was transferred in 2002
Credit line
Ham House, The Dysart Collection (purchased by HM Government in 1948 and transferred to the National Trust in 2002)
Makers and roles
Italian School, artist previously catalogued as attributed to Cornelis Vroom the younger (Haarlem c.1591 - Haarlem 1661), artist previously catalogued as attributed to Jacopo Tintoretto (Venice 1518 - Venice 1594), artist
References
Thornton and Tomlin 1980 Peter Thornton, and Maurice Tomlin. “The Furnishing and Decoration of Ham House.” Furniture History, The Journal of The Furniture History Society Vol.XVI, 1980, p. 95 Walpole 1770 Horace Walpole, ‘Journals of Visits to Country Seats &c, xxxiv. Ham House near Richmond. June 10th 1770’, The Walpole Society, Vol.XVI, 1927-28, p.67