Freebooters, Cartagena de Indias, 1697

[PaulinKendal]

In 1697, a combined force of 1200 French soldiers and some 650 privateers in a fleet under the command of Baron de Pointis successfully attacked the Spanish-held fortified city of Cartagena de Indias, in present-day Colombia. After looting the city for a month, the French made off without paying the pirates their promised share of the booty.
Enraged, the freebooters returned to the city and pillaged it mercilessly, once again.
I picture these two whispering the news of the French departure, before they determine to wreak vengeance on the city.

 

[PaulinKendal]

 

[scottie3158]

Very nicely done indeed.

 

[PaulinKendal]

For scale:

 

[Jim R]

Very unusual and very well painted. Love the accompanying story. They are much, much smaller than I imagined.

 

[PaulinKendal]

The main figure is titled 'Freebooter, 1697'. If you look at an online Piracy timeline (they exist, of course they do!), then you discover that the Raid on Cartagena was the big piracy news-story of the year, so that's a big hint about the sculptor's inspiration for this duo.

The effective creator of our modern image of The Pirate is illustrator Howard Pyle. In 1905, Pyle produced illustrations for 'The Fate of a Treasure Town', including this, entitled 'Extorting Trbute from the Citizens'.

The treasure town in question is, of course, Cartagena.

It seems likely to me that the central figure in Pyle's illustration is the sculptor's source for the main character in my vignette.

Pyle's artwork is worth further study - he was a superb illustrator with an arresting style.

 

[Steve Brodie]

Both very nice