John Paul Jones — Battle Scene Engraving
Paris, circa 1780 — Frame: 14 7/8 x 12 1/2 inches; sight: 12 3/8 x 10 inches
 
A dramatic French engraving depicting John Paul Jones amid the heat of naval combat, shown aboard the Bonhomme Richard during his celebrated engagement with HMS Serapis in 1779. Surrounded by smoke, rigging, and the chaos of battle, Jones stands resolute, sword in hand, embodying the defiance that came to define his reputation. Published in Paris by Carl Guttenberg after a design by Claude Jacques Notté, the print reflects the strong admiration for Jones in France following his victory, which was widely celebrated as a symbolic triumph of the American cause at sea.
 
The scene alludes to the pivotal encounter of September 23, 1779, when Jones, commanding a deteriorating vessel, refused surrender and instead lashed his ship to the Serapis, turning the engagement into a brutal close-quarters fight that ended in British capitulation. The composition captures both the immediacy of the battle and the emergence of Jones as a transatlantic hero of the Revolution.
 
Condition: Very fine.