Homeward bound

Since no slave ship ever allowed any of its human cargo above decks for fear that the slaves would either kill themselves by jumping overboard, or, worse still, turn on their captors, this unusual painting of dark-skinned natives on the deck of an English warship poses something of an enigma. The most likely explanation however is that the vessel found herself undermanned in Indian waters, perhaps due to disease or the desertion of some of her crew, and her captain pressed some local lascars into service in order to bring his ship home. In due course, the natives would take passage back and this would explain why they are at liberty on the decks and apparently mixing freely with the European crew.

There is a similar painting in the collection of the Merseyside Maritime Museum, Liverpool. Please refer to Anthony Tibbles Illustrated Catalogue of Marine Paintings, p.119.

Christie's are most grateful to Sam Davidson for his help in attributing this lot.