Memorial to the Napoleonic Naval Heroes Admiral Federico Carlos de Gravina and Rear-Admiral Don Antonio Escaño, Defeated at the Battle of Trafalgar
after 1805
Classification
architecture
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Museum purchase through gift of various donors and from Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund
Accession Number
1938-88-7180
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
This striking architectural memorial, crafted by the renowned Italian neoclassical artist and architect Giuseppe Valadier (2–1839) after 1805, honors two valiant Spanish naval commanders: Admiral Federico Carlos deina and Rear-Adm Don Antonio Escaño Valadier, a master of elegant, classical forms celebrated for his work in Rome's churches and public monuments, created this piece to commemorate their leadership amid tragedy. Housed in the Smithsonian American Art Museum through a generous museum purchase, it exemplifies the era's fascination with heroic memorials. The monument evokes the dramat...