Badaioz Assaulted and Taken, April 6, 1812 and The Battle of Salamanca, July 22, 1812
In 1814 Stothard won a competition to design a large gilt-silver ceremonial shield honoring Arthur Wellesley, duke of Wellington, for his military successes in the Iberian peninsula. Wellesley's leadership in the Peninsular War (1808–14), helped push French forces out of Portugal and Spain, unseat Napoleon, and reopen British trade with the Continent. A group of London merchants and bankers sponsored the competition and Stothard's designs were cast by the silversmith Benjamin Smith, working for the firm of Green, Ward and Green. In 1822 the shield was presented to the duke and put on display at Apsley House in London. Two years earlier, Stothard had etched his designs at the same scale as the shield. These two panels chronicle British action at Badaioz and Salamanca in 1812.
Artwork Details
- Title: Badaioz Assaulted and Taken, April 6, 1812 and The Battle of Salamanca, July 22, 1812
- Artist: Thomas Stothard (British, London 1755–1834 London)
- Printer: McQueen & Co. (London)
- Date: September 1, 1820
- Medium: Etching and engraving
- Dimensions: sheet: 22 5/8 x 27 15/16 in. (57.4 x 71 cm)
plate: 14 x 24 7/8 in. (35.5 x 63.2 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund; Charles Z. Offin Fund; and A. Hyatt Mayor Purchase Fund, Marjorie Phelps Starr Bequest, 2008
- Object Number: 2008.17.4
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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