Extolling the King’s Navy Pride in his country’s naval achievements inspired Louis XV to commission a “report” on the King’s Navy that would “extol its merits.” In 1752 the artist Claude Joseph Vernet (1714–89) was asked to produce a series of twenty-four views of shipbuilding, merchant marine, and naval ports, constituting one of the most ambitious commissions awarded during Louis XV’s reign. Embracing the Enlightenment commitment to realism, Vernet traveled to the ports to produce fifteen of the twenty-four views, each more than five feet in height and eight feet in length. Following Vernet’s death, the commission was taken over by the artist Jean François Hue (1751–1823), who completed seven additional works in the series. Known today as the “Ports of France” series, the paintings are among France’s most valued cultural treasures. The first marine artist to be recognized as an official navy painter was Ambroise Louis Garneray (1783–1857), who received the title of “Peintre du Grande Amiral de France” from the Duke of Angoulême, High Admiral of the French Navy, and namesake of the original Musée Dauphin. In 1830 the title of “Peintre de la Marine” was established and the first recipients were Louis-Philippe Crepin (1772–1841) and Théodore Gudin (1802–80). Artists recognized as official navy painters are permitted to embellish the signatures on their paintings with an anchor symbol. There can be more than one official navy painter at a time in France, but there is no fixed number. In 2002, there are twenty-three appointed on a life basis (“Peintres titulaires”) and fifteen on a temporary basis (“Peintres agréés”), for three-year renewable appointments. TOP: Vue du Port de Bordeaux (View of the Port of Bordeaux), 1758 (detail), Claude Joseph Vernet. Oil on canvas. 80 in. x 117 in.