This representation of His Majesty's Ship 'Magnificent', 74 Guns..., 1830 (hand-coloured aquatint)

Creator: G. Gilbert (artist); C. Hunt (engraver); Rudolph Ackermann & Co (publisher) The full inscription on this print reads: 'This representation of His Majesty's Ship MAGNIFICENT, 74 guns, JOHN HAYES, ESQ, CAPTAIN, / Showing (after cutting the Cables in a S.W. Gale) the manner of making Sail under reefed Courses and close reefed Topsails, / with Yards and Topmasts struck, and saving the Ship from destruction on a Lee shore on the 17th Dec 1812. Is by Gracious Permission dedicated to HIS MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY WILLIAM IV by His Majesty's faithful Subject & Servant John Hayes, Capt. R.N. C.B. / When the cables were cut the Ship was in Shoal water amongst the Rocks, and not more than Two Cables length from the Reef off / Isle de Rea, near Basque Road, and with the send of the sea was at one time only on Foot from the ground.' Immediately under the print 'Painted by Gilbert' / '(ACKERMANN & Co EXEC't) / Eng'd by C. Hunt',/ [and below Hunt] 'Sir Philip Durham & Squadron in Basque Road' (as shown to the right). The image records the most celebrated non-fighting incident in the distinguished career of Rear-Admiral John Hayes (c. 1767- 1838) when in command of the 74-gun 'Magnificent' during the blockade of Rochefort in 1812. The ship lost both anchors in an onshore gale in Basque Roads, the approach to Rochefort, and was nearly driven ashore. Hayes who was already well reputed for his seamanship managed to get clear as shown after performing a manoeuvre so risky as only to be used in extreme circumstances, called 'club-hauling'. It involves dropping an anchor to drag the head of a ship driving for the shore rapidly round on the opposite tack, to claw off, and cutting the cable (thereby losing the anchor) at the critical moment. If mistimed the principal danger is that the ship will be dismasted and certainly wrecked, and it requires superb crew teamwork to effect in usually dire straits. This is the most famous occasion it was ever done by a naval ship, especially of this size, and it earned Hayes the nickname thereafter of 'Magnificent' Hayes. The unidentified artist was previously suggested, solely for lack of alternative, to be a French pupil of Ozanne, Pierre Julien Gilbert (1783-1860) but is more likely to have been a little-recorded but good British marine painter called G. Gilbert, whose name appears in none of the standard reference works on marine painting and whose quality lies somewhere between that of his contemporaries, Thomas Whitcombe and Nicholas Pocock (lower to higher). A pair of similarly good paintings which also seem to have been done by Gilbert for Hayes when in his next ship, the 'Majestic' later in 1812, one showing her pursuing a French squadron and the other capturing the 'Terpsichore' as a consequence, were sold at auction on 8 July 2015 by Mallams at Oxford. Both appear to have been in original frames with the artist's name 'G. Gilbert' on descriptive tablets fixed to them (no signatures were mentioned). Given that the styles are the same, it is reasonable to assume that the original for this print was an oil painting also done for Hayes, and that after William IV came to the throne in 1830 he had it lithographed with the description and personal dedication to the King that are shown shown on it. While any connection between Hayes and the King has yet to be investigated, the former, son of a Deptford boatbuilder, may well have had much in common with the latter: the plain-speaking monarch was known as the 'sailor king' from having earlier been a serving naval officer. NMM AAB0731 is another more obviously presentation copy of this print , linen-backed on a wooden roller, and with a silk cover bearing letterpress describing how the ship was saved in more detail. Another artist possibility, if 'G. Gilbert' is perhaps an error of initial, is that the painter was Joseph Miles Gilbert (1799-1876): the Museum has one oil by him of the yacht 'Alarm' in which the sea is similar but no others have yet been located to make a firmer assessment.