Hulks of East India Company Ships on the Beach at Plymouth
Hulks of East India Company Ships on the Beach at Plymouth
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This large watercolour, signed with Prout's early signature, is one of the most ambitious of Prout's beach and marine scenes, probably made been for exhibition. It is quite likely to have been painted for the 1814 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and shown as 'Hulks at Plymouth' (no.620), which Prout submitted from his London address at 4 Brixton Place, Stockwell.
He was very familiar with, and had many studies of, maritime activity in his native Plymouth, as well as the local topography, such as Mount Batten and its tower, which appear in the middle distance of the present work. Prout incorporated imagery from a number of these studies to create this ehibition picture, as was his habit and also a common practice among his contemporaries.
For example, the two East India Company ships appear separately, in a watercolour of 'Quay with boats', catalogue no.10 in Richard Lockett's 'Samuel Prout' (1985), and in a sepia watercolour sold by David Duggelby on 26 November 2021 (lot 207) - and no doubt in several other drawings, watercolours and prints.
As well capturing the scene and conveying a narrative Prout has captured the light and mood of dusk on the shore, with a finely rendered sea and sky, which we can appreciate today because of the watercolour's exceptional condition.
Dimensions:
1814
Watercolour and bodycolour with gum arabic and scratiching out
Signed lower right
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, which Prout submitted from his London address at 4 Brixton Place, Stockwell. He was very familiar with, and had many studies of, maritime activity in his native Plymouth, as well as the local topography, such as Mount Batten and its tower, which appear in the middle distance of the present work. Prout incorporated imagery from a number of these studies to create this ehibition picture, as was his habit and also a common practice among his contemporaries.For example, the two East India Company ships appear separately, in a watercolour of 'Quay with boats', catalogue no.10 in Richard Lockett's 'Samuel Prout' (1985), and in a sepia watercolour sold by David Duggelby on 26 November 2021 (lot 207) - and no doubt in several other drawings, watercolours and prints. As well capturing the scene and conveying a narrative Prout has captured the light and mood of dusk on the shore, with a finely rendered sea and sky, which we can appreciate today because of the watercolour's exceptional condition.){kind=link}