'The Noble Admiral Lord Nelson, falling in the Arms of Victory - ' RMG PW4352

'The Noble Admiral Lord Nelson, falling in the Arms of Victory...'
A simple and rapidly executed and published print in response to the news of Nelson’s death at the Battle of Trafalgar. It mixes allegory with reportage, showing Nelson, struck by the musket ball and falling into the arms of the winged figure of ‘Victory’, on the deck of his flagship of the same name. She is in the act of placing on his head a laurel wreath that unmistakably assumes the form of a halo. Meanwhile, Hardy points to the battle raging to the left, informing Nelson of the defeat of the French and Spanish fleets, while to the right a midshipman clasps his hands in grief and prayer. This is one of numerous similar prints that were produced in the immediate aftermath of Nelson’s death and funeral, as part of a nationwide expression of loss.

'The Noble Admiral Lord Nelson, falling in the Arms of Victory...'