Attaque par le Comte de Tourville et Jean Bart de la Flotte Anglaise de Smyrne (Attack Led by the Count of Tourville and Jean Bart on the English Fleet From Smyrne), 1839-40

Théodore Gudin (1802-1880) took his first painting lessons after having served in the Navy, in the American fleet, for three years. At 22 years old, he received the prestigious Salon medal, and was proclaimed the first official marine painter.
Amongst his accolades is the commission from Versailles, in 1844, of over a hundred pieces of art depicting significant episodes in French maritime history. Here, we can see the Battle of Lagos of 1693, which took place during the Nine Year War between the Kingdom of France and the League of Augsburg.
Gudin positions the horizon low in the image, and creates an overall view of the battle. The scene depicts a victorious French ship, next to the luminous streak of sunlight on the left-hand side, and two English vessels in a sorry state, spewing flames and smoke, which intertwine with the threatening clouds.