Wellington at Sorauren

Wellington at Sorauren
Artist	Thomas Jones Barker
Year	1853
Type	Oil on canvas, history painting
Dimensions	129 cm× 99 cm(51 in× 39 in)
Location	National Army Museum, London

Wellington at Sorauren is an oil on canvas history painting by the British artist Thomas Jones Barker, from 1853. ^{[1] [2]}

History and description

It shows a scene from 1813 with the Marquess of Wellington, the Allied commander in the Peninsular War, being escorted by local guides across the mountains close to Sorauren in Spain. The Battle of Sorauren fought in the summer of 1813 was part of the wider Battle of the Pyrenees. French forces under Marshal Soult launched an attempt to relieve the besieged cities of Pamplona and San Sebastian. Fitzroy Somerset and other members of his staff are shown riding behind Wellington. The theme of a general leading his troops through a mountain range echoes Hannibal's crossing of the Alps. Today the painting is in the of the National Army Museum in London. ^[3] A larger version of the work was produced by Barker the following year and is now in the Wellington Collection. ^[4]

References

1. Hichberger p.56
2. Muir p.64
3. "Wellington at Sorauren, 1813 | Online Collection | National Army Museum, London". collection.nam.ac.uk.
4. Wellesley p.124

Bibliography

• Hichberger J.W.M. Images of the Army: The Military in British Art, 1815-1914. Manchester University Press, 2017.
• Muir, Rory. Wellington: The Path to Victory, 1769–1814. Yale University Press, 2013.
• Wellesley, Charles. Wellington Portrayed. Unicorn Press, 2014.