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The Battle of Malplaquet 11 September 1709: Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663-1736) leading troops on...

IMAGE number
ROC3956373
Image title
The Battle of Malplaquet 11 September 1709: Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663-1736) leading troops on the French redoubts, 1713-14 (oil on plaster)
Artist
Laguerre, Louis (1663-1721) / French
Location
Royal Collection Trust
Medium
oil on plaster
Date
1713 AD - 1714 AD (C18th AD)
Dimensions
162.5-323x450 cms
Image description

In 1713 Louis Laguerre was commissioned to decorate the walls of the main hall and the two flanking staircases of Marlborough House, the London residence of the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough. The subject was to be the significant battles of the Spanish Wars of Succession (1701-14); led by the Duke of Marlborough, Britain and the Allies saw victories at Blenheim (1704), Ramillies (1706), Oudenard (1708) and, less decisively, Malplaquet (1709). The murals were to be 'the only signs of bravura or ornamentation in a house that was otherwise very plain and simple' (John Charlton, Marlborough House, 1978). Laguerre was paid £500 for them. The murals have had a chequered conservation history and parts have been almost entirely repainted. The staircase to the left of the main central hall (Blenheim Saloon) is decorated with scenes from the battle of Malplaquet (RCINs 408438-40); and a scuffle on the fringes of the battle (RCIN 408441). Five French redoubts (temporary forts) were erected in the open ground between Sars Wood and nearby Bleron Farm in the period immediately before the Battle of Malplaquet; they were thick enough to be cannon proof, thereby acting as a significant obstacle to advancing Allied infantry and guns. They appear in the background of this composition, with a group of mitre-capped grenadiers advancing towards them; Prince Eugene, in a buff coat and wearing the Order of the Golden Fleece, advances towards the right, accompanied by a figure in a blue coat who may be the Dutch Commander, Marshal Overkirk. A figure in a blue uniform with a black fur hat pulls a French standard away from a French soldier. Two women are in the act of stripping a group of dead or wounded soldiers at bottom right – two dead figures, half naked, and one naked one behind them. Unusually, the figure of Eugene is relegated to the middle ground of Laguerre's composition, as he advances out of the picture plane; as with the death of Colonel Bringfield in the opposite staircase, the focus has been shifted to the more anecdotal, human interest provided by the woman in the process of stripping the dead soldiers at the bottom left, presumably to return or sell their uniforms, which were in and of themselves of value. The area of the composition marked by the grenadiers has presumably also been partially lost in the service of the staircase. However, a modello for the painting survives at the National Army Museum (NAM. 1973-08-103), and this suggests that the major portion of the top left-hand corner was occupied with sky.

Photo credit
Royal Collection Trust / © His Majesty King Charles III, 2024 / Bridgeman Images
Image keywords
18th century / Germany / Europe / battle / Spain / United Kingdom / painting / art / mzpainting / royal residence / oudenard / campaign / wars / succession / military / wall painting / mural / malplaquet / duke of marlborough / england / marlborough house / britain / british / victory / murals / victories / staircase / war / commemorative / english / marlborough mural / marlborough murals / blenheim / ramillies / Painting / Mzpainting
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Largest available format 4693 × 5304 px 22 MB
Dimension [pixels] Dimension in 300dpi [mm] File size [MB]
Large 4693 × 5304 px 397 × 449 mm 22.0 MB
Medium 906 × 1024 px 77 × 87 mm 1.1 MB

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