The Defence of Saragossa

Wilkie's The Defence of Saragossa of 1828 depicts the heroic resistance of Agustina, the Maid of Saragossa, during the French siege of 1808 — a woman who reportedly manned a cannon after her companions fell and became the symbol of Spanish guerrilla resistance. The subject combined Spanish patriotism, female heroism, and Peninsular War narrative into one of Romantic painting's most potent combinations. Wilkie visited Spain specifically to study the subjects associated with the war and produced a series of Spanish historical and genre paintings that complemented the Scottish subjects of his earlier career.

Wilkie renders the desperate battle scene with the broad, dark palette of his Spanish period and dramatic Caravaggesque lighting. The heroic female figure amid the carnage creates a powerful image of resistance that bridges his earlier genre style and later historical ambitions.