Battle of Vittoria

Battle of Vittoria 

John Heaviside Clark and Matthew Dubourg after William Heath, circa 1815 

Hand-coloured etching 

Jenkins’s celebration of British military and allied successes against Napoleon was dedicated to the Duke of Wellington. This plate, drawn by William Heath (1795-1840), etched by John Heaviside Clark (1771-1863) and aquatinted by Matthew Dubourg (1786-1838), shows the decisive battle of the Peninsular War at Vitoria-Gasteiz on 21 June 1813. 

Wellington commanded an army of more than 81,000 British, Portuguese and Spanish troops against French forces of about 68,000 under the command of Joseph Bonaparte and Marshal Jourdain. The allies sustained more than 5,000 casualties but carried the day and the battle proved the final turning point in the Peninsular War. This image, which cannot have been based on direct observation, shows the mainly allied forces under British command and with the union flag prominent. The profile of the town in the background may be compared with George Vivian’s sketch (2.6) drawn on the spot from a very similar viewpoint. It can be seen that William Heath’s rendering of Vitoria is largely imaginary. 

The victory over the French was marked by a large monument which stands to this day in the main square of the town. Vitoria, Salamanca and other key battlegrounds quickly became tourist destinations on the Spanish leg of the Grand Tour. Another legacy of this victory is a collection of masterpieces by Velázquez and Ribera that Wellington retrieved from the baggage train of the French army and brought to London. Although Wellington wanted to return the paintings to Spain, the Spanish authorities offered them as a gift to the war hero. The paintings can still be seen at Apsley House in London.   

Title: Battle of Vittoria, June 21, 1813. 

Author/Artist: I. [i.e. John Heaviside] Clark (1771-1863, engraver) and Matthew Dubourg (fl. 1786-1838, painter and engraver) after William Heath (1795-1840, artist). 

Technique and Material: Hand-coloured etching. 

Dimensions: 270 x 365 mm. 

Published: From James Jenkins, The Martial Achievements of Great Britain and Her Allies from 1799 to 1815. London: L Harrison and J C Leigh for the Author, circa 1815. 

Date: c. 1815. 

Marks and Inscriptions: lower edge, left: ‘W. Heath Del[ineavit]’; centre: ‘Etched by I. Clark’; right: ‘Aquatinted by M. Dubourg’. 

Institution: Barry Ife collection.