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211 WILLIAM SADLER II (1782-1839)
The Battle of Waterloo
Oil on canvas, 26 x 63cm
€ 6,000 - 8,000
William Sadler II was born about 1782, the son of William Sadler I, a painter of portraits and historical subjects. Strickland
has no information on his artistic education but notes that he contributed to various Dublin exhibitions between 1809 and
1814 and again between 1819 and 1821. He also exhibited at the fledgling Royal Hibernian Academy in 1828 and again in
1833. William Sadler II’s paintings are usually painted on small mahogany panels and frequently depict scenes in and around
Dublin. Many of his compositions however display an interest in dramatic events, suggesting the eye of a journalist. A large
work which was uncovered in the late 1990s ‘
Battle of Waterloo
’, (Pyms Gallery, London, Summer 1999) is one such journalis-
tic piece and would appear to be the finished work for which the present painting is surely a well-worked study.
The Battle of Waterloo was fought two hundred years ago, almost to the day, June 18th, 1815 near Waterloo in what is now
Belgium. The principal actors were a French army under the command of Napoleon against the combined forces of the Unit-
ed Kingdom under the Duke of Wellington and a Prussian army under the command of Gerhard Leberecht von Blucher. By
all accounts it was a very closely fought battle and Napoleon was narrowly defeated. It marked the end of his rule as Emper-
or of the French and he abdicated four days later. Over the course of the next half century a cult developed around Waterloo
and its heroes, it being regarded generally as Britain’s greatest victory. Over the decades after the great event many artists
represented various moments of the battle, no doubt encouraged by the nationalist, anti-French fervor prevalent at the time.
According to William Laffan, writing in Pyms Gallery’s ‘
Masterpieces by Irish Artists 1660-1860
’ (Summer 1999) Sadler has opted
to portray an early point in the battle, a time which he suggests is about 1.30 in the afternoon. He describes the composition
thus “ The picture reads from right to left. Leading the charge at the right in a blue uniform with his sabre raised is the Earl of
Uxbridge, Wellington’s cavalry commander with eight brigades under his command. Uxbridge, later the Marquess of Angle-
sey who famously had his leg shot off in the battle is shown here charging with his second brigade, the Union Brigade which
comprised of the Royal Dragoons, the Royal Scots Greys and the 6th Inniskilling Dragoons. In the centre of the action can be
seen the Eagle standard of the French 105th Regiment, which had been captured by Captain Kennedy Clarke of the Royals.
Behind this scene the farm building represents La Haye Sainte which was to be the focal point of a concerted French attack a
little later in the afternoon. In the distance on the right Wellington appears to be shown. Further into the distance, immedi-
ately to the left of La Haye Sainte can be seen the burning of the Chateau of Hougoumont where the battle had begun in the
morning.
The left hand side of the picture seems to conflate two episodes, which happened in quick succession. On the far left is
shown the moment when Sergeant Ewart, of the Royal Scots Greys captures the standard of the “Invincibles”, the French
45th Regiment of Infantry, inscribed with the victories of Austerlitz and Jena. ..Shortly afterwards however Union Brigade
General Ponsonby himself was killed by a lance. This seems to be the scene shown in the central foreground with Ponsonby
being cradled in his men’s arms; the lance lying broken in front of him.”
There is another unattributed painting of Waterloo which is in the West Point Academy Museum, surely in Sadler’s hand and
which shows distinct similarities with both the present work and the much larger Pyms version.
Laffan says of the Pyms’
Battle of Waterloo
“...the structure of the composition is tightly organised with the principal points of
action clearly legible in the foreground. The large plume of smoke just off centre acts as a focal point with views receding into
the distance on either side.
“Wellington was, of course born in Dublin, some thirteen years before Sadler, and in his early career was MP for Trim.
An engraved portrait of Wellington by Henry Brocas Snr. published in Dublin in October 1815 just months after Waterloo
demonstrates the support enjoyed by the Duke in his home town. Three years later in 1818 work was begun on the marble
obelisk commemorating the Duke in the Phoenix Park. The obelisk was frequently included by Sadler in views of Dublin from
his favoured viewpoint near Island Bridge.”
We gratefully acknowledge Pyms Gallery and William Laffan, whose 1999 article provided us with much of the above information.