Robert Smirke RA Study for Naval Commemorative Plate

An original 1803 pen & ink drawing, Robert Smirke RA, Study for Naval Commemorative Plate.

A delicate study by Robert Smirke RA (1753 –1845) for a larger commemorative engraved plate, in ink and grey wash drawing over graphite.Robert Smirke RA produced a number of striking plates commemorating British naval victories of the late 18th century. As such, he contributed to the arts of naval victory, despite Smirke himself making no secret of his own democratic opinions.This design features a number of cameo portraits and bears the motto 'splendor septentriones,' which can mean 'the splendour of the seven stars' or 'the splendour of the North’. Allegorical figures from classical antiquity are used to give the design stature and gravitas—with Athena or Minerva (goddess of wisdom, craft, and war) to the right and Asclepius (hero and god of medicine) to the left, and possibly Marcus Aurelius on horseback in the centre. This design is very similar to other commemorative plates by Smirke dating from 1803, such as his famous ‘The Victory of the Nile’ (National Portrait Gallery, London), engraved by John Landseer, which features medallion portraits of Lord Nelson and his fourteen naval captains, flanked by allegorical figures of Fame and Nile—in tribute to Nelson's victory over the French at the Battle of the Nile in 1798.This beautiful study has a sensitivity and charm which is lost in the more grand and formal finished, engraved plates.

This is one of two drawings by Smirke that we have for sale, which we acquired as a pair.