Lot Essay
Duncan McFarlane was a British ship portraitist working in the second and third quarters of the Nineteenth century. The background to his earlier works suggests he was based in Liverpool, but his later paintings are of American subjects, many of which include landmarks of the Boston area, leading to the conclusion that he lived out his later years in Massachusetts.
The Bostonian Society and the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, have ship portraits painted by McFarlane in their collections.
The Francis A. Palmer, 195' x 40' x 28½', 1425 tons, was built in Greenpoint, Brooklyn in 1854 by William Perrine for E.D. Hurlburt & Co. of New York. Shortly thereafter, she passed through a number of owners in a short period of time reflecting the confused state of the U.S. shipping industry in the late 1850's. According to logs covering the years 1854 to 1861 in the collection of the Essex Institute of Salem, Massachusetts, the Francis A. Palmer was well travelled. Her maiden voyage took her to Le Havre. In subsequent years she made voyages to New Orleans, San Francisco, Valparaiso, Callao, the Chincha Islands, Sydney, Cork and London before being sold to the British during the Cival War to escape the depredations of Confederate commerce raiders.
This painting is a prime example of McFarlane at his peak. Facing the rising sun with topsail and t'gallant aback, the lofty sail plan achieves a tremendously satisfying aesthetic effect due to the intricate interplay of light and shade highlighted against the sea and sky at dawn. As in many of his paintings, the main subject is large and very detailed with a neat, almost taut, seaman's approach.
The Bostonian Society and the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, have ship portraits painted by McFarlane in their collections.
The Francis A. Palmer, 195' x 40' x 28½', 1425 tons, was built in Greenpoint, Brooklyn in 1854 by William Perrine for E.D. Hurlburt & Co. of New York. Shortly thereafter, she passed through a number of owners in a short period of time reflecting the confused state of the U.S. shipping industry in the late 1850's. According to logs covering the years 1854 to 1861 in the collection of the Essex Institute of Salem, Massachusetts, the Francis A. Palmer was well travelled. Her maiden voyage took her to Le Havre. In subsequent years she made voyages to New Orleans, San Francisco, Valparaiso, Callao, the Chincha Islands, Sydney, Cork and London before being sold to the British during the Cival War to escape the depredations of Confederate commerce raiders.
This painting is a prime example of McFarlane at his peak. Facing the rising sun with topsail and t'gallant aback, the lofty sail plan achieves a tremendously satisfying aesthetic effect due to the intricate interplay of light and shade highlighted against the sea and sky at dawn. As in many of his paintings, the main subject is large and very detailed with a neat, almost taut, seaman's approach.