File:The Battle of La Hogue, 23 May 1692 RMG BHC0339.tiff

A copy commissioned from Chambers by Edward Hawke Locker (at this time senior resident Commissioner of Greenwich Hospital) for the Naval Gallery in the Painted Hall, from the original by Benjamin West, then in the collection of the Marquess of Westminster.

Uniquely, the Painted Hall catalogue (1922 edition) blandly says it was 'obtained' without saying who presented it. This is clarified by the Hospital Board minutes for 1835 which show that Vice Admiral Benjamin Page persuaded the Board to part with six paintings from the bequest of eight left to the Hospital by Admiral Sir Edward Hughes in 1794 (five of his actions by Serres and a half-length portrait by Reynolds) for presentation to the town hall at Ipswich -where both Page and Hughes came from- in exchange for a painting of the value of 100 guineas of 'one of the great Naval Victories'. Page originally offered or sent one of Trafalgar in exchange, which the Board rejected since they already had Turner's and 'intimations' from William IV, which never materialized, that he might present two more. Page eventually paid for this instead but the transaction was somewhat fraught and the Board, minuting their regret that they had agreed to it, concluded that they had no power to alienate pictures or other items once accepted as Hospital property.

Page is acknowledged in the minutes as donor of the picture but this never seems to have been stated publicly in the catalogue or (presumably) on the frame of the picture which was normally the case. The probable reason is that as a trade rather than a gift it was not considered proper to credit Page on a par with other donors. The painting arrived and was hung in the Gallery early in 1836.