The fierce spirit of battle is captured with extraordinary drama in this oil on canvas attributed to accomplished marine genre painter Samuel Drummond. Over two centuries ago, Admiral Lord Nelson defeated the combined French and Spanish fleets during the infamous Battle of Trafalgar aboard the HMS Victory. The present work presents a highly theatrical interpretation of this legendary naval action. With his sweeping and grandiose compositional style, Drummond deftly captures the drama and ferocity of the fight.

One of the most important naval battles in history, the Battle of Trafalgar, marked the end of Emperor Napoléon's campaign to invade England and established Britain's naval supremacy for the next two centuries. The conflict was waged between the British Royal Navy and the French and Spanish Coalition and was the most decisive confrontation of the Napoléonic Wars. Twenty-seven British ships lead by Nelson aboard the HMS Victory defeated 33 French and Spanish ships just west of Cape Trafalgar. During the battle, Nelson was struck in the spine by a French marksman aboard the Redoutable, and he died three hours later. Afforded a state funeral and heralded as a national hero, numerous monuments commemorate this legendary victory and Nelson's legacy, including the 170-foot Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square in London.

In The Battle of Trafalgar, Drummond is able to express the fury of war through his bold brushwork and a masterful composition that enhances the drama of the fight. The artist was born in London in 1766, and around the age of thirteen, he became apprenticed to the sea service working on Baltic trade routes. It began his lifelong love affair with the sea. He entered the Royal Academy Schools in 1791, and over the next several years he exhibited upwards of 300 hundred paintings at the Royal Academy. Renowned for his marine scenes, and particularly his battle paintings such as the present work, Drummond became known as one of the finest painters of Britain's maritime history of his age. He was also a leading portraitist, capturing the likenesses of Admiral Edward Pellew, Walter Scott, Francis Place and many others. Today his works can be found in the National Maritime Museum (London), the Nelson Museum (Great Yarmouth), the Royal Institution (London) and the Art Institute of Chicago, among others.