The Siege of La Rochelle, 1628
Anglo-Dutch School
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
1683 (after)
Materials
oil on canvas
Measurements
1473 x 2235 mm (58 x 88 in)
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Dyrham, Gloucestershire
NT 453736
Caption
In 1628, the Huguenot inhabitants of La Rochelle were beseiged by the military forces of the French King, Louis XIII. During the early seventeenth-century, La Rochelle had become an important centre of Huguenot sea power and enjoyed a flourishing trade with the New World. But, as a self-proclaimed 'Reformed Republic', supportive of the Protestant Cause of William of Orange, the city experienced increasing hostility from the Catholic central government of France. During the 1628 siege, which this painting is thought to depict, an English relief effort was launched to support the Huguenot cause. However, this ultimately ended in failure: the English fleet was forced to withdraw and the city surrendered. This painting formed part of the large collection of art amassed by William Blathwayt in the late seventeenth- and early eighteenth-centuy and was one of a number of coastal prospects on display in the house.
Summary
Oil painting on canvas, The Siege of La Rochelle, 1628, Anglo-Dutch School, late 17th century. A bird's-eye prospect of the fortified city of La Rochelle, on the west coast of France. The painting is thought to depict the 1628 siege carried out by the forces of Louis XIII, against the city's Huguenot inhabitants. Ships in the distance represent the British relief effort led by the Earl of Lindsey. A group of French commanders watch the action from an elevated position in the foreground. As long as it has been in the collection at Dyrham, this work has been considered as a pendant to a painting of 'The Demolishing of Tangier, 1683' (NT 453737).
Provenance
Recorded at Dyrham Park since at least 1765, when put up for sale by William III Blathwayt (1719-1787) along with other pictures from Dyrham, first day of the sale, lot 27; subsequently returned to Dyrham Park; thence by descent; Indigenous collection purchased by the Ministry of Works in 1956 and given to Dyrham Park in 1961
Credit line
Dyrham Park, The Blathwayt Collection (acquired by the Ministry of Works via the National Land Fund in 1956, and transferred to the National Trust)
Makers and roles
Anglo-Dutch School, artist British (English) School, artist
References
Moore 2014, Peter Moore, 'Conflicting Perspectives' in National Trust Historic House & Collections Annual (Apollo) 2014, pp. 34 -39