The island of Tenedos, near the entrance to the Dardanelles, from the site of Troy

This drawing, little more than a sketch, shows vessels at anchor off the site of ancient Troy, probably at sunset, near the entrance to the Dardanelles. The mound on the left is noted as the 'Tomb of Patroclus' - the companion of Achilles in Homer's 'Iliad' - and the point on the right as 'Cape Troy'. Fallen columns appear to lie in the centre with the name 'Tenedos' below, which probably refers to the offlying island beyond the ships, which lies about 20 km to seaward. While this may seem a little hard to believe, Cape Troy itself is rather higher ground than the apparent scale of the drawing may suggest (see PAD9393), and it is only a quick sketch.

It was done while the Anglo-French fleet was stationed in Besika Bay, anticipating the need to support Turkey against the Russians in the months before the start of the Crimean War. See also PAI0881 and related drawings made at the same time in Mends's 'Trafalgar' sketchbook.

Object Details

ID: PAD9391
Collection: Fine art
Type: Drawing
Display location: Not on display
Creator: Mends, George Pechell; Mends, George Pechell
Places: Tenedos Island
Date made: July - October 1853
Credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
Measurements: Mount: 119 mm x 277 mm