Maritime Art Archive
Captain Sir William George Fairfax 1739-1813
William George Fairfax became a Vice-Admiral of the Royal Navy in 1810 after a long career that touched on some of the most significant naval events and personalities of the period. He entered the navy aged eleven, serving under Augustus Keppel in HMS Centurion, the sixty-gun ship which had been the flagship of George Anson’s squadron […] Read More
Carved Coat of Arms of James II (1633-1701)
This carved coat of arms of James, Duke of York, was made at some point between 1665 and 1673, during the reign of his brother, Charles II. Charles collapsed and died suddenly in February 1685 at which point James became James II of England and Ireland and James VII of Scotland. The coat of arms […] Read More
The China War, wooded Island with pagoda (1857)
This is one of nine watercolours made during the China War by Thomas Goldsworthy Dutton. Born in Hackney, Dutton went on to become one of the most famous lithographers of the nineteenth century for his exceptional nautical scenes and portraits. Although his work as a watercolorist is less well-known he was very talented and his work […] Read More
Witte de With’s Action with Dunkirkers off Nieuwpoort, 1640 (II)
This month’s featured work of art is the companion piece to last month’s. The painting probably shows an engagement in 1645 between Admiral Witte Corneliszoon de With (1599-1658) and the man in overall command of the Spanish fleet in Flanders, Admiral Miguel de Horna who had just returned from a privateering voyage. The Dutch fought well […] Read More
Witte de With’s Action with Dunkirkers off Nieuwpoort, 1640
Spanish naval power during the Thirty Years War reached impressive levels. Its power base lay not in Spain itself but in Spanish-ruled Flanders, and in particular Dunkirk. Spanish power grew here because of the threat posed in the North Sea by Dutch seapower but the Spanish dominated the area between 1625-1645. At the heart of […] Read More
The Northern Arch of Old London Bridge (1922)
This etching is part of a large collection of 123 Wyllie prints, mainly etchings, bought from the daughter of William Lionel Wyllie in 1985, the funds provided fully by the Society for Nautical Research. Wyllie was a Londoner and spent many years recording London maritime life. This etching is one of Wyllie’s many views of the […] Read More
The China War 1857: Junk Fleet Against Mountainous Background. (1857)
This is one of nine watercolours made during the China War by Thomas Goldsworthy Dutton. Born in Hackney, Dutton went on to become one of the most famous lithographers of the nineteenth century for his exceptional nautical scenes and portraits. Although his work as a watercolorist is less well-known he was very talented and his work […] Read More
‘A Waterman at Portsmouth Point’ (November 1774)
This is the second portrait of a waterman by Gabriel Bray that has been published in the Society’s online art archive. The first can be seen here. This is just one of seventy-three sketches by Gabriel Bray that were preserved in an album and purchased for the National Maritime Museum by the Society for Nautical […] Read More
Commodore George Walker c.1750
This portrait of George Walker, a famous privateersman in the mid-eighteenth century, was purchased with the help of the Society for Nautical Research in 1995. The painting had been held in a private collection in the U.S. Walker is shown in an expensive blue jacket decorated with gold braid and a red waistcoat also embroidered […] Read More
The Battle of Actium, 2 September 31 BC, (1672)
This painting from the last quarter of the seventeenth century is a depiction of the naval Battle of Actium, fought on 2 September 31 BC, between the naval forces of Octavian and those of Mark Anthony and Cleopatra. It was decisive victory for Octavian, and his victory gave him control of the entire Roman world. […] Read More