Auguste-Louis de Rossel de Cercy
Auguste-Louis de Rossel de Cercy (22 June 1736 – 27 February 1804) was a French Navy officer and painter of the 18th century. He especially painted naval scenes. Biography. Cercy was born in Dompierre-sur-Mer in 1736 from an aristocratic family. He joined the French Navy as a Garde-Marine in 1751 in Rochefort. In 1752, he was appointed to "Friponne". In 1754, he transferred on the 50-gun "Aigle", and the year after on the 64-gun "Inflexible". In 1756, he served first on the frigate "Aquilon", and then on the 80 -gun "Duc de Bourgogne", and the year after on the 64-gun "Saint Michel". From 1759, Cercy served on the frigates "Aragon", "Sardaigne" and "Oiseau", before transferred to the ship "Content". In 1765, Cercy was promoted to Lieutenant. The year after, he served on "Coulisse". In 1770, he was first officer on the 64-gun "Bizarre". In 1773, he was made a Knight in the Order of Saint Louis. In 1775, he was appointed to the frigate "Zéphir". In 1779, he retired with the rank of captain. He started painting around that time. In 1778, he illustrated the action of  17 June 1778 between "Belle Poule" and HMS "Arethusa", the action of 15 February 1783 between "Concorde" and HMS "Magnificent". The year after, he painted the action of 17 August 1779 between "Junon" and "Gentille" against HMS "Ardent", and the Battle of Martinique. He also painted the Battle of Martinique of 1780. At the Salon de la Correspondance in 1786, he showed landscapes of Malta and Constantinople. That same year, Louis XVI decided to have depictions of the French naval victories of the War of American Independence made, and he chose Cercy to make them. He died in 1804 in  Paris. Notes, citations, and references. Notes Citations References External links