The Capture of the ‘Guillaume Tell’, 30 March 1800 RMG BHC4160

The Capture of the ‘Guillaume Tell’, 30 March 1800
A painting detailing the capture of the ‘Guillaume Tell’. She is shown on the left of the painting, with her last mast, the mizzen, falling forward over the starboard side, her ensign from the peak trailing in the water. This differs from the written accounts which describe the main and mizzen going first at 6.30 a.m. and the foremast was the last to go. Masking the ‘Guillaume Tell’s’ bow with her stern and gunsmoke is the ‘Foudroyant’. She has also lost her mizzen mast and there are shot holes in her sails. On the left and slightly further off is the ‘Penelope’ facing into the stern of the ‘Guillaume Tell’ while on the right of the picture is the Lion with her mizzen topmast gone and some of her guns not run out as they had been dismounted. The sea is choppy.
Following the defeat of the French fleet in Aboukir Bay in August 1798 the French garrison at Malta came under siege. An attempt in February by the French to run a small convoy into Valetta was thwarted by the British. One of the three French ships that had escaped from Aboukir Bay was the ‘Guillaume Tell’ which was by now lying in Valetta Harbour. In late March she attempted to run the gauntlet of the British blockade to try to reach Marseilles to alert the French to their plight. As soon as she headed for open water she was spotted by the frigate ‘Penelope’ who gave chase. She soon caught up with her and for over five hours harried the ‘Guillaume Tell’ and eventually brought down her main and mizzen topmasts and main yard. The British ship ‘Lion’ also joined in and further disabled the ‘Guillaume Tell’. The ‘Foudroyant’ also arrived and by day light the ‘Guillaume Tell’ had lost all her masts. She surrendered soon afterwards following a most gallant defence and was captured. The ‘Penelope’ which had engaged the ‘Guillaume Tell’ throughout the eight hour action had only one sailor killed and three wounded.
This is a very late work by Luny painted in the last year he was working by which time he was severely incapacitated by arthritis, so that the brushwork is a little shaky in places, though still very vigorous and of good quality. It is signed and dated ‘T. Luny 1835’.

The capture of the ‘Guillaume Tell’, 30 March 1800