4531

WARD OF HULL

United Kingdom, 1798-1849

"A Frigate Offshore".

A wonderfully detailed seascape with several vessels, figures, a small area of beach in the foreground, and the twin lighthouses at Spurn Head, the entrance to the River Humber that leads to Hull, in the distance. Signed and dated in lower right of composition on a piece of board on the shore "J. Ward 1831".
Oil on canvas, 19.5" x 28". Framed 28.5" x 37.5".
Condition: Overall excellent condition: conserved -- lined and placed on a new stretcher. Minor specks of scattered inpaint visible under UV light.

The absence of a condition report does not imply an object is free of defects. All items may have normal signs of age and wear commensurate with their age; these issues will likely not be mentioned in the condition report. Please contact Eldred's before the auction with any condition questions. Questions about condition will not be answered after purchase. Condition reports are provided as a courtesy, and we are not responsible for any errors or omissions. Important note on frames: Frames are not guaranteed to be in the same condition as they are in the item photograph. Due to handling and shipping, many frames, especially antique ones, are prone to losses. If you have questions about the condition of a frame, please contact us prior to the auction. 

  • Provenance:
    The Property of a Gentleman: The Estate of Peter Goldstein.

    Illustrated:
    John Ward of Hull Marine Painter 1798-1849 published by The Ferens Art Gallery, Hull (1981), p. 35, plate 13, though the dimensions and medium are inaccurately listed. The work is described as "almost certainly Ward's academy piece for 1831".

    Notes:
    In Dictionary of Sea Painters by E.H.H. Archibald (Antique Collectors' Club Ltd.,1980), p. 197, John Ward is recorded as having been born in Hull, the son of a master mariner. He was apprenticed as a house, sign and ship painter, a trade he maintained even after he had become a successful artist. He exhibited extensively in the 1840s and remains the best known of the Hull School marine painters.

    This work is a classic example of Ward's scenes of the Humber riverside. On the shoreline, two figures are engaged in conversation, one seated and handling objects in a basket and one standing and resting on his cane. Two additional figures are in the dory anchored just offshore, also appearing to be in conversation. All four figures are finely rendered and wear bright, colorful clothing, creating small focal points in an otherwise expansive scene. The two frigates offshore, one hove-to and one seen from the stern, are probably the same ship in different positions. A lateen-rigged fishing boat is to the left and other vessels can be seen in the far distance. Wonderfully detailed and crisp, this painting displays the mastery of John Ward.

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February 28, 2024 9:30 AM EST
East Dennis, MA, US

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