Admiral Anson Coming Ashore at Payter, Peru, in 1741
£3,850
A rare and interesting naive folk art painting showing Admiral Anson standing before his ship, with the town of Payta to the right and an army of foot soldiers on the mountaintop beyond. Oil on canvas (relined) presented in a bespoke painted and parcel-gilt casseta style frame
Together with an image of the canvas prior to re-lining showing the inscription:
Mr ANSON landing at
PAYTA. Painted by W. Ayger
AD MDCCCXIX
Anson in Peru
During the War with Spain (1739-48), Admiral Anson took a squadron of eight ships into the Pacific to disrupt Spanish trade and capture any enemy merchant ships which he came upon. On 13th November 1741, Anson mounted a surprise attack on the Spanish town of Payta, on the coast of Peru, which, although successful, was marred by the escape of the town’s governor whom Anson had hoped to ransom. Anson then threatened to burn the town unless the governor surrendered himself – which he refused to do – so, on 15th November, Payta was put to the torch as were six Spanish vessels lying offshore. Unable to return home via Cape Horn, Anson continued his progress across the Pacific and eventually circumnavigated the globe, the first Englishman to do so since Sir Francis Drake in the 1570s.
George Anson, Baron Anson (born April 23, 1697, Shugborough, Staffordshire, England.—died June 6, 1762, Moor Park, Hertfordshire) was a British admiral whose four-year voyage around the world is one of the great tales of naval heroism. The reforms he instituted as a naval administrator increased the efficiency of the British fleet and contributed to its success in the Seven Years’ War (1756–63) against France.
Anson entered the Royal Navy in 1712 and became a captain 11 years later. In September 1740 Commodore Anson set off across the Atlantic with six poorly manned, ill-equipped vessels to capture Spanish treasure ships in the Pacific. He lost three ships rounding Cape Horn but went on to raid Spanish mining settlements on the coast of Chile. Although he and his crew suffered incredible hardships while crossing the Pacific in their one remaining ship, the Centurion, Anson managed to capture a Spanish treasure galleon near the Philippines. He sold this prize for £400,000 in Canton, China, the Centurion being the first British warship to enter Chinese waters. By the time he reached England in June 1744, more than half the original crew of nearly 2,000 men had died, chiefly of scurvy.
Because of the support of the Duke of Newcastle, Anson was first lord of the Admiralty from 1751 to 1756. Although sacked by William Pitt, Anson returned as first lord from 1757 to 1762. His reforms included a reorganization of the fleet, a revision of the articles of war, and the creation of a permanent marine corps.
