Shipping in Portsmouth Harbour

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  • About the work
    Location
    Country: UK
    City: London
    Place: Government Art Collection

    This marine view depicts a British man-of-war entering Portsmouth Harbour. Another tall ship is about to pass by the stern of the man-of-war, and several smaller vessels are also included, included two rowing boats.

    A larger painting by Buttersworth, with an almost identical composition to this work was sold through Sotheby’s in London in 2011. However, the Sotheby’s painting shows the main man-of-war being towed into the harbour by a steam tug and includes some additional vessels in the distance.

  • About the artist
    Thomas Buttersworth was born in the Isle of Wight. He was a seaman painter, who enlisted aboard HM Enterprise in 1795 and was appointed a midshipman by 1800. That year he was invalided at Minorca and sent home. Little is known of his naval service, but the National Maritime Museum has a number of large watercolours by Buttersworth depicting the Battle of St Vincent (1797), which are executed in such a way as to suggest he was there. Although he was already painting, being invalided out of the Navy may have spurred him to become a professional artist. Despite being a prolific painter, he exhibited only one work at the Royal Academy in 1813 and one at the British Institution in 1825. He is thought to have died in London in November 1842.
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  • Details
    Title
    Shipping in Portsmouth Harbour
    Date
    1801
    Medium
    Oil on canvas
    Dimensions
    height: 42.00 cm, width: 62.00 cm
    Acquisition
    Purchased from the Parker Gallery, December 1959
    Inscription
    sdbl
    Provenance
    With Parker Gallery, London; from whom purchased by the Ministry of Works in December 1959, possibly as 'Entrance to Portsmouth'
    GAC number
    5047