Louis Ambroise Garneray (1783–1857), France
Second View of the Battle of the 24th of July, [sic] 1823, in Maracaybo Lagoon at the Command of General José Padilla, ca. 1850
Hand-colored lithograph on paper
Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros
These two prints record the final battle of the Venezuelan War of Independence, which took place on Lake Maracaibo between the squadrons of Gran Colombia (“Esquadra Colombiana”) who were fighting Spanish loyalists (“Esquadra Española”). The ships of Gran Colombia, a republic that between 1819 and 1830 included the independent regions of modern day Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, and Ecuador, was commanded by the famous leader of the Wars of Latin American Independence, Simón Bolívar. Flags of Gran Colombia flying from their masts, the names of the ships, their commanders, and even the crew’s total numbers are listed below each image.