Portrait of the steamship Montserrat, by Juan Luna y Novicio

Portrait steamship Montserrat Juan Luna Novicio

Steamship Montserrat, by Juan Luna y Novicio

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Num. inventory: 1934

Object name: painting

Title: Steamship Montserrat

Object date: undated

Author: Juan Luna Novicio

Technique and material: pastel on paper

Ship portraits

Pastel painting on paper by Juan Luna y Novicio. This was a commission from the Compañía Trasatlántica as a gift to the ship’s captain, Manuel Deschamps, on the occasion of his golden anniversary with the sea.

The steamship Montserrat became famous after escaping the American blockade of Cuba during the Spanish-American War of 1898. Commanded by Captain Deschamps, the Montserrat left Cadiz on April 10^th, 1898, and while sailing off the coast of Martinique the crew learned of the outbreak of war. It managed to pass through the blockade, entering Cienfuegos. Then, on July 15^th, it left the port of Cadiz once again with food and war materials and entered Matanzas a second time, avoiding enemy fire. Later, the Montserrat served as a hospital ship, and when the war was over it returned to carrying passengers, including Leon Trotsky.