Inscribed at the bottom 'Invincible' and 'Le Juste' by the artist. Pocock was almost certainly present at the Battle of the First of June on board the 'Pegasus' (Captain Barlow), one of the frigates in Howe's fleet, which served to repeat signals during the battle from an observing position to windward. A number of sketchbooks have survived filled with rapid sketches such as this, which shows the British 'Invincible' (left, in stern view) raking 'La Juste'. Those sketches that show close engagements, like this, are the best representations that we have of the impenetrable fog of gun smoke in which sea battles were fought, and of which later paintings recording them give a very false impression. In being present as a 'war artist' Pocock was following the precedent of van de Velde the Elder some 140 years earlier. It is the first instance we know of a professional artist accompanying a fleet with the intention of documenting a battle since van de Velde the Elder. Subsequently Pocock made paintings of the battle, which he exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1796 and 1797. One of these, showing the duel between 'Brunswick' and 'Vengeur', is in the Museum's collection (BHC0471).