62 - Pierre COMBA (1859–1934)

Pierre COMBA (1859–1934) Officers of the Cambis Regiment at a bivouac in 1761, under Louis XV (1887) Watercolor, signed lower right and dated 1887, plate 62 26.5 x 42.5 cm (image size); original mat 50 x 66.5 cm This is likely a watercolor (plate LXII) from a historical series created by Comba. He was commissioned to create this work as part of his duties at the Ministry of War. Pierre Comba (Nice 1859–Nice 1934) was a painter from Nice. He is renowned for his watercolors depicting the life of the Alpine Hunters. As the successor to the army’s draftsmen and painters, he was the last painter on the Army’s payroll. He joined the War Department as an auxiliary draftsman in September 1883 and was appointed to a permanent position in October 1887 as a watercolorist. As early as 1884, he created, notably, a series of 86 “military types,” part of which is preserved at the Defense Historical Service. His privileged position gave him access to various contemporary and older uniforms. He had acquired exceptional knowledge of uniformology. Bibliography: A. Bexon: Un peintre chez les chasseurs alpins, P. Comba, Itinera Alpina, 2006, 160 pages with over 300 color reproductions. Note on the Cambis Regiment: The Cambis Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Kingdom of France created in 1676 under the name “Vivonne Regiment” and incorporated into the Royal Regiment in 1762. The scene depicted by Comba is set against the historical backdrop of the Seven Years’ War (1756–1763). In 1756, as part of the Seven Years’ War, the Cambis Regiment was sent to Toulon and embarked there on April 9 for the Menorca expedition, commanded by Marshal Duke of Richelieu, and took part in the siege of Mahon. In 1757, it was deployed along the coast of Brittany. In 1758, the 650 men of the 2nd Battalion of the Cambis Regiment were sent to Canada as part of the War of Conquest to reinforce the garrison at Louisbourg. Taken prisoner after the fall of the city, the regiment was taken to England, then exchanged in March 1759. In 1760, the regiment took part in Captain Thurot’s naval expedition off the coast of Ireland. On February 18, 1760, advance parties from the Cambis Regiment, along with other French troops, landed in Ireland near Carrickfergus, and on the 21st, after a bloody battle, they captured the town. The expedition reembarked on February 28, and that same day Captain Thurot was attacked near the Isle of Man by three large English frigates. Since this officer was killed at the start of the battle, his frigates were forced to surrender after a fierce struggle. In 1762, the Cambis Regiment took part, as part of the Spanish-Portuguese War, in the expedition to Portugal and the siege of Almeida. Pursuant to the ordinance of December 10, 1762, the Cambis Regiment was incorporated into the Royal Regiment.