Francesco Bartolozzi after D. Pellegrini.

Invicto Wellington Lusitania Grata.

15 x 25 inches

A full-length stipple plate portrait by Bartolozzi after Pellegrini, published in London in 1810.

This is a youthful, some would say flattering, image of Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, taken at the height of the Peninsular Wars [1807-1814]. The title translates as ''Wellington undefeated and Lusitania Grateful''. Lusitania is the name given to the old Roman province that incorporates most of modern day Portugal and parts of western Spain. The Iberian Peninsular was under threat from Napoleon's advances and Wellington was instrumental in fending off the French army. His left hand rests upon the hilt of his sword whilst his right hand clutches a scroll and gestures towards a series of maps highlighting recent victories: the Battle of Talavera, the Restoration of Oporto and the Battle of Vimeiro.

£650