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Nelson stands on deck in front of a naval gun with his left arm outstretched, the index finger gesturing to an impression of the Battle of the Nile raging in the right background. He wears the ribbon and star of a Knight of the Bath, the St Vincent naval medal on a blue and white ribbon round his neck, and the Turkish chelengk on his hat. His empty right sleeve is hooked up to a button and on the right a chair is draped with the scarlet cloak he received from the Sultan Selim III of Turkey after the Nile, for saving the Ottoman Empire from Napoleon. The idea for this portrait originated two days after the battle, when Nelson's captains 'hoped that he will permit his Portrait to be taken in commemoration of that glorious day'. However, no portrait was made immediately because Nelson's appearance at this stage, with a wound above the eye, bandaged, and probably concussed, was not prepossessing.
Guzzardi's portraits all show Nelson lean, emaciated and unnaturally coloured. His attitude is wooden and bizarre, though he had been badly wounded, was in poor health and his eyes already troubled him. His hat is tipped back unnaturally on his head to prevent discomfort to the wound scar on his forehead which is evident in all versions of the painting.
Title
Rear Admiral Horatio Nelson (1758–1805), Baron Nelson of the Nile
Date
1798–1799
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 83.8 x W 50.8 cm
Accession number
BHC2895
Work type
Painting
National Maritime Museum
Romney Road, Greenwich, London, Greater London SE10 9NF England
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Admiral Nelson (1758–1805) Defence Academy of the United Kingdom -
Horatio Nelson (1758–1805), 1st Viscount Nelson Britannia Royal Naval College -
Rear Admiral Horatio Nelson (1758–1805), Baron Nelson of the Nile National Maritime Museum -
Horatio, 1st Viscount Nelson (1758–1805), Vice-Admiral and Victor of Trafalgar Government Art Collection -
Rear Admiral Horatio Nelson (1758–1805), Baron Nelson of the Nile National Maritime Museum