The Defence of Saragossa

The Defence of Saragossa is a history painting completed in 1828 by David Wilkie, a Scottish artist based in London. It shows a moment from the 1808 siege of Zaragoza, during the Peninsular War, when the city held out against the French. Wilkie had recently travelled through Spain, and this canvas is one of a group of four works he made on Spanish resistance to the French occupation. He drew on the story of Agustina de Aragón, who, according to tradition, stepped over the body of her fallen husband to fire a cannon at the French in defence of the city. The scene balances the drama of combat with an almost reportorial attention to the war's details. George IV bought the picture after it was shown at the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition of 1829 at Somerset House, and it remains in the Royal Collection. Its interest lies in how British painting of the period reinterpreted the Peninsular War as a heroic struggle of a people in arms.

Painter

David Wilkie

Date

1828

Medium

oil paint, canvas

Dimensions

94 × 142 cm

Museum

Royal Collection

Genre

history painting

Depicts

First Siege of Zaragoza, Agustina de Aragón

Share:FacebookWhatsApp