Lot Essay
Brierly had embarked on his first tour round the world as staff artist on Benjamin Boyd's Wanderer in 1841, but on arrival in Australia settled in New South Wales, managing Boyd's whaling and other enterprises at Twofold Bay (see the following lot) from 1842-1848. He joined Owen Stanley's surveying trip to the Great Barrier Reef, Torres Strait and New Guinea in the Rattlesnake and travelled with Henry Keppel on HMS Maeander to New Zealand, Tahiti and South America before returning to England in 1851. He enjoyed royal patronage for the rest of his career and was appointed marine painter in ordinary to Queen Victoria in 1874.
Brierly was invited by the Duke of Edinburgh to join his expedition round the world on the latter's appointment to the command of HMS Galatea in 1867. Prince Alfred, created Duke of Edinburgh in May 1866, commissioned the corvette Galatea specially for a voyage to the Australian colonies: 'On 18 January the Queen wrote to the Prince of Wales saying that Prince Alfred had 'of his own accord proposed a voyage to Australia - & I encouraged him very much in this plan - as it is a colony of such importance one in wh: beloved Papa took such interest & to wh: None of our Princes have yet been' (WRA T 5/4).
The original scheme was that the Galatea should sail right round the world and return to Portsmouth in January 1869. Because of the attempted assassination of the Duke in March 1868, the ship came home and reached Portsmouth on 26 June 1868. Brierly was invited to be in attendance throughout the trip.' (D. Millar, op. cit., p. 116).
After visits to Brazil and the Cape, the Galatea left Simon's Bay for Glenelg, Adelaide and arrived after a rough passage on 29 October 1867. The present watercolour shows the Galatea drying her sails and airing the hammock, at anchor four miles off Glenelg. The Galatea remained in South Australia for a month before being escorted along to Hobson's Bay to land at Melbourne. For a description of the visit to South Australia, see J. Milner and O.W. Brierly, The Cruise of H.M.S. Galatea, London, 1869, pp. 132-234.
Thirty-seven watercolours by Brierly illustrating the voyage (dating between 18 February 1867 and 26 June 1868) and five screens of paintings by Chevalier (illustrating the Duke's second trip to Australia in 1869-70) were exhibited at the South Kensington Museum and subsequently at the Crystal Palace at Sydenham in 1872.
Brierly was invited by the Duke of Edinburgh to join his expedition round the world on the latter's appointment to the command of HMS Galatea in 1867. Prince Alfred, created Duke of Edinburgh in May 1866, commissioned the corvette Galatea specially for a voyage to the Australian colonies: 'On 18 January the Queen wrote to the Prince of Wales saying that Prince Alfred had 'of his own accord proposed a voyage to Australia - & I encouraged him very much in this plan - as it is a colony of such importance one in wh: beloved Papa took such interest & to wh: None of our Princes have yet been' (WRA T 5/4).
The original scheme was that the Galatea should sail right round the world and return to Portsmouth in January 1869. Because of the attempted assassination of the Duke in March 1868, the ship came home and reached Portsmouth on 26 June 1868. Brierly was invited to be in attendance throughout the trip.' (D. Millar, op. cit., p. 116).
After visits to Brazil and the Cape, the Galatea left Simon's Bay for Glenelg, Adelaide and arrived after a rough passage on 29 October 1867. The present watercolour shows the Galatea drying her sails and airing the hammock, at anchor four miles off Glenelg. The Galatea remained in South Australia for a month before being escorted along to Hobson's Bay to land at Melbourne. For a description of the visit to South Australia, see J. Milner and O.W. Brierly, The Cruise of H.M.S. Galatea, London, 1869, pp. 132-234.
Thirty-seven watercolours by Brierly illustrating the voyage (dating between 18 February 1867 and 26 June 1868) and five screens of paintings by Chevalier (illustrating the Duke's second trip to Australia in 1869-70) were exhibited at the South Kensington Museum and subsequently at the Crystal Palace at Sydenham in 1872.