The Chase of the Brilliant by John Bentham-Dinsdale
John Bentham-Dinsdale became one of the most renowned marine painters because of his extensive library on maritime history. This allowed him to recreate the great ships from the age of sail, as well as naval confrontations from centuries past. Rendering the great vessels of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries provided the artist with opportunities to showcase his attention to detail. He was able to render the folds of the billowing sails, the jacks and pennants flapping in the wind, the fine threads of each rope, clouds of smoke emitted from volleys of cannon fire, and, of course, the white crest of each wave and ripple in the water. This level of detail, paired with a great sense of dynamism and visual storytelling, comes through in Chase of the Brilliant, showing two French frigates attacking the titular British vessel.
While another work by Dinsdale, Action off Belfast Lough, involves a British ship called the HMS Brilliant, Chase of the Brilliant involves that ship’s successor, built in 1779. She saw action in the Mediterranean and North Atlantic during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. This particular scene takes place on July 26, 1798. Two French ships, the Vertu and the Régénérée, are sailing from the Canary Islands to Rochefort, on France’s western coast, when the Brilliant intercepts them. The French give chase, pursuing the British ship just off the island of Tenerife. The Brilliant was able to evade the French guns, while the Vertu and Régénérée eventually returned to Tenerife.
Dinsdale gives us the three ships amid the pursuit. The smoke from the cannons is starting to obscure some of the second French ship further off in the background. Nevertheless, the tricolor atop her foremast identifies her as a frigate of the French Republic. Large geysers of fine white mist shooting out of the water show the spots where French cannonballs are splashing into the water. Meanwhile, the Brilliant is showing signs of damage. Large holes are punched through her sails, not enough to immobilize her completely, though. The damage to the hull is minimal, and it is all located above the waterline. The Brilliant is battered but persists, evading the next round of cannon fire that might sink her.