An Attack on a Galleon
Date1905
Artist
Howard Pyle
(American illustrator, 1853–1911)
Illustration Citation"The Fate of a Treasure Town," by Howard Pyle, in Harper's Monthly Magazine, December 1905
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions29 1/2 x 19 1/2 in. (74.9 x 49.5 cm)
frame: 33 3/4 x 23 3/4 x 2 in. (85.7 x 60.3 x 5.1 cm)
frame: 33 3/4 x 23 3/4 x 2 in. (85.7 x 60.3 x 5.1 cm)
Credit LineMuseum Purchase, 1912
Object number1912-32
On View
On viewClassificationsPAINTING
Label TextHoward Pyle's story captures the dangers of waters around the colonial ports of Central and South America in the 17th century, when ships carrying the plundered wealth of the "New World" to the Spanish crown were often attacked by pirates. This massive galleon is at the mercy of a small, lethal pirates’ craft. Billowing smoke illuminated by gunfire signals the assault overcoming the galleon’s crew. The ship's majestic icon, as yet unscathed, looks down upon the ruthless action.One critic wrote that the illustrations for “The Fate of a Treasure Town” were the “sensation of the magazine world…each one marvelously rich in color…dramatically stirring and vividly romantic.”
