Burning of the Russian 74-gun Sewolod
by POCOCK, Nicholas, Oil on canvas, 72 x 102 cm
The painting depicts the burning of the Russian 74-gun Sewolod after she had been engaged and silenced by HMS Implacable, commanded by Captain T. Byam Martin, in the Baltic, 26 August, 1808. Demonstrating the influence of Charles Brooking, an artist who received scant recognition in his short life, this work proceeds in the tradition established by Brooking of exquisitely drawn ships and the subtle portrayal of wind and weather.