Robin Brooks (20th Century)

The following two lots form part of a series of forty oils painted by Robin Brooks depicting Captain Cook's triumphant voyage of 1768-1771. When Captain Cook returned to England after his triumphant voyage of 1768 to 1771, Joseph Banks - his companion and patron - immediately set to work to persuade the Lords of the Admiralty to finance another even more ambitious expedition. Whilst the brilliant success of Cook's first voyage had greatly impressed Their Lordships, it had not however blinded their financial realism and Banks's pleas for larger ships and better facilities were denied. The Admiralty was adamant; Endeavour had been a humble Whitby collier and, such was her sturdy reliability, that Banks found himself offered two similar vessels which, in the absence of any alternative, he was forced to accept. The two colliers, Marquis of Granby, 426 tons, and Marquis of Rockingham, 340 tons, were thus renamed Resolution and Adventure and duly fitted out to carry crews of 110 and 80 men respectively. In the event, Banks withdrew from the expedition after a bitter disagreement over alterations to his own accomodation whilst the other preparations were being completed. At 6.00 a.m. on Monday 13 July 1772, Captain James Cook, H.M.S. Resolution, accompanied by H.M.S. Adventure under the command of Captain Tobias Furneaux, cleared Plymouth on what was destined to be one of the greatest sailing ship voyages of all time. After a passage of three months that was not without incident, the two ships arrived at Cape Town where they were reprovisioned and the men rested. Putting to sea again on 23 November, Cook set a course due south and on 10 December sighted the first island of ice "twice as high as the topgallant masthead". The subsequent voyage through the Southern Oceans was to be extremely productive and has been well-documented. Probably Cook's major achievement was to prove conclusively that the fabled continent of 'Terra Australis Incognita' did not, in fact, exist but this was merely one of the many important discoveries before the expedition finally returned to England in July 1775.

Details

Robin Brooks (20th Century)

Reluctant Admiration - 54°o 92°o South, 14th December 1772

signed 'Robin Brooks' and signed and inscribed on the reverse; oil on canvas
20 x 40in. (51 x 101.5cm.)

Lot Essay

December 14th 1772 Lat 54o 55' South. In the morning Resolution and Adventure were stopped by an immense field of ice. The men could see no end to it in either direction. They bore south easterly following along it's edge. Many large icebergs were trapped in the pack ice.

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