Paul Jones shooting a Sailor who had attempted to strike his Colours in an Engagement.

• Price: $1,750.00
  

  SKU: 103563

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• ARTIST: John Collet

• PUBLISHER: Printed for Carrington Bowles, No. 69 in St. Pauls Church Yard,. Publishd as the Act directs.

• MEDIUM: Mezzotint and engraving.

  DATE: undated, c.1779.

• EDITION SIZE: Plate size 6 x 4 1/2" (15 x 11.6 cm)

• DESCRIPTION: From the original picture by John Collet, in the possession of Carington Bowles.<br><br> <b>A rare and unusual octavo sized printing.<b/><br><br> Carrington Bowles produced a almost identical larger (12 3/4 x 9 3/4") version of this print.<br><br> John Paul Jones, 1747-1792, one of America's first great Naval commanders. On September 23 1779, his ship, the Bon Homme Richard, engaged the HMS Serapis and fought a long and bloody battle. At one point Captain Richard Pearson, commanding "Serapis," called out to Jones, asking if he surrendered. Jones replied "I have not yet begun to fight!" Eventually, Capt. Pearson tore down his colors and surrendered. At the time, the British considered Jones to be a rogue pirate due to his exploits in the Irish Sea, raiding the coast and capturing ships. A number of prints were made in England during the period that depicted him as such. This print one of the more important of these images produced and depicts Captain Jones in the act of shooting a sailor with a cutlass under his left arm, four pistols in his belt and one in his pocket. This incident never took place and is likely an exaggeration of an incident that happened during the encounter in which a shell shocked American gunner shouted for quarter until Jones knocked him down with the butt of a pistol.

• ADDITIONAL INFO: Printed on laid paper.

• CONDITION: Very good condition.

• REFERENCE:

• CATEGORIES: 18th-19th Century Subjects , Portraits , Naval