Arrival of the comte d’Estaing at the Island of Grenada, July 3, 1779
Gabriel de Saint-Aubin French
Not on view
In the last months of his life, Saint-Aubin made two drawings glorifying the French capture of Grenada in 1779. Here, the French admiral Charles Hector, the comte d’Estaing (1729–1794), leads the assault. France and Britain had long fought over the island. It had been controlled by the French from around 1650 until 1762, when it capitulated to the British. It was ceded to Britain in 1763 as part of the Treaty of Paris. In 1779, it was recaptured by the French, as depicted by Saint-Aubin, but restored to Britain in 1783.