The Defence of Cádiz against the English

The Defence of Cádiz (full title - The Defence of Cádiz against the English or The Hostile Landing of the English near Cádiz in 1625 under the command of the Earl of Leicester[note 1]) is an oil on canvas painting by Francisco de Zurbarán, now in the Museo del Prado in Madrid.

The Defence of Cádiz
against the English
ArtistFrancisco de Zurbarán
Year1634
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensions302 cm × 323 cm (119 in × 127 in)
LocationMuseo del Prado, Madrid

It shows the Spanish preparing their defences just before the arrival of Edward Cecil's Cádiz expedition of 1625. In the left foreground is the city's governor Fernando Girón giving orders to his subordinates, including the deputy field commander Diego Ruiz. In the background are the English troops landing in front of the El Puntal fort in the Bay of Cádiz.

Initially attributed to Eugenio Caxés,[1] it is now known to have been painted by Zurbarán[2] as part of a decorative scheme for the Hall of Realms at the Buen Retiro Palace in Madrid which also included Velázquez's The Surrender of Breda and Maino's The Recovery of Bahía de Todos los Santos. Zurbarán also produced ten paintings of the Labours of Hercules for the Hall of Realms - these are also now in the Prado.

Notes
  1. In Spanish, the Conde de Lest. However, the Earl of Leicester was then Robert Sidney, who took no part in the landings, meaning this is a mistake, possibly for Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, a vice-admiral and foot colonel on the expedition.
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References
  1. "Catalogue entry, pp. 25-26" (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  2. "Defense of Cádiz against the English". Online gallery. Museo del Prado. 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
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