Dominic Serres (1722–1793), also known as Dominic Serres the Elder, was a French-born painter strongly associated with the English school of painting, and with paintings with a naval or marine theme. Such were his connections with the English art world, that he became one of the founding members of the Royal Academy in 1768, and was later briefly (from 1792 until his death) its librarian.

Life and works

Born in Auch, Gascony, he was initially expected to train as a priest but instead travelled to

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and became a ship's captain, sailing to

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

. He was taken prisoner by the British navy towards the end of the 1740s and eventually settled in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in about 1758, where it is believed he trained as a painter in

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

and later in

under Charles Brooking. If Serres did not settle in London until 1758, however, he could not have studied for long under Charles Brooking, since Brooking was buried on 25 March 1759. Reflecting his early career, many of his paintings have naval themes. Working for a publisher documenting the events in the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (175 ...

(1756–1763), he painted a series of depictions including the capture of Havana in 1762. He also painted events in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, such as the disastrous

Penobscot Expedition The Penobscot Expedition was a 44-ship American naval armada during the Revolutionary War assembled by the Provincial Congress of the Province of Massachusetts Bay. The flotilla of 19 warships and 25 support vessels sailed from Boston on July 1 ...

launched by the Americans in 1779. In 1780, he was appointed Marine Painter to King

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

. Serres died in 1793, and was buried at St.

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropolitan borough, it me ...

Old Church. His eldest son John Thomas Serres (1759–1825) also became a prolific marine artist.

Gallery

Image:The Battle of Quiberon Bay.jpg, The

Battle of Quiberon Bay The Battle of Quiberon Bay (known as ''Bataille des Cardinaux'' in French) was a decisive naval engagement during the Seven Years' War. It was fought on 20 November 1759 between the Royal Navy and the French Navy in Quiberon Bay, off the coast ...

, 20 November 1759 Image:PenobscotExpeditionBySerres.jpg,

(1779) File:Halifax1762ByDominicSerres.jpg, Halifax, Nova Scotia c.1762 File:Halifaxc1762byDominicSerres.jpg, Halifax, Nova Scotia c.1762 File:British fleet entering Havana.jpg,

Battle of Havana (1762) The siege of Havana was a successful British siege against Spanish-ruled Havana that lasted from March to August 1762, as part of the Seven Years' War. After Spain abandoned its former policy of neutrality by signing the family compact with ...

File:Halifax1777ByDominicSerres.jpg, Halifax, Nova Scotia c.1777 File:Dominic Serres - Saint Vincents, near West Malling, Kent - Google Art Project.jpg, Saint Vincents, near West Malling, Kent File:Dominic Serres - An English Two-Decker Lying Hove to, with Other Ships and Vessels in a Fresh Breeze - Google Art Project.jpg, The Lying Hove File:The Defeat of the French Fireships attacking the British Fleet at Anchor before Quebec.jpg, Battle of Quebec (1759)

References

External links

*
Dominic Serres online
(ArtCyclopedia)
Dominic Serres
(Biography and works at the Royal Academy of Arts, London).
Serres biography and works
(

National Maritime Museum The National Maritime Museum (NMM) is a maritime museum in Greenwich, London. It is part of Royal Museums Greenwich, a network of museums in the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. Like other publicly funded national museums in the Unite ...

, London)
Serres ancestry
("rootsweb")
An English man-o'war shortening sail entering Portsmouth harbour
(painting - exhibited in 1778) {{DEFAULTSORT:Serres, Dominic 1722 births 1793 deaths 18th-century French painters French male painters French marine artists Royal Academicians 18th-century French male artists

Life and works

Gallery

References

Further reading

External links