Le Port de Brest (une prise de la mâture)-Louis-Nicolas Van Blarenberghe mg 8233

Le Port de Brest, une prise de la mâture
Français : This view, taken from the masts or masting machine, at the foot of the castle embraces, on the right bank, the sector going from the commercial port of Recouvrance to the Capuchin convent, upstream of the Penfeld. On this same bank, we recognize the Church of Saint-Sauveur de Recouvrance and the Cayenne under construction. Left bank, the artist represents the quays going from the foot of the masts to the Intendance de la Marine. In front of the row of picturesque houses and the old fountain, a colourful crowd enlivens the quay dedicated to shopping activities, while ferries, the boats that used to pass from one side of the river to the other, drop off their travelers. On the Penfeld, a vessel is being refitted afloat, while in the rear, the L'Oiseau, cannons in place, exits the port pulled by two boats rowed by convicts. This gouache was made from one of the topographical views taken on site during their stay in Brest in 1773 by Louis-Nicolas Van Blarenberghe and his son Henri-Joseph. The latter also made an oil on canvas, which is now housed in the Metropolitan Museum in New York.