Rodney’s Fleet bombarding Martinique, 16th February, 1762

Serres's depiction of Rodney's fleet bombarding Martinique on 16 February 1762 records another episode of Britain's Seven Years' War Caribbean campaign: Admiral George Rodney's assault on the French island that would prove decisive in securing British naval supremacy in the region. Martinique's fall, along with the captures of Guadeloupe and other French islands, gave Britain temporary dominance over the most profitable Caribbean sugar colonies. Serres documented these British naval victories with the combination of topographical accuracy and compositional drama that made him the period's leading recorder of British maritime power.

The bombardment scene captures the smoke and fire of naval cannon exchange against the green tropical coastline of the island. Serres balances the dramatic pyrotechnics of battle with careful attention to the formation and handling of the fleet, demonstrating his seafaring knowledge.