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Lot Essay
English water-colourist Conrad Martens arrived in Sydney on 17 April 1835. His voyage to Sydney included a year spent as the shipboard artist on The Beagle, which was making what was to become an historical journey due to the presence on board of scientist Charles Darwin.
Martens settled in Cumberland Street in the Rocks and his timing was fortuitous. The mid 1830s marked the era in which most of Australia's early important houses were built and the owners of these houses provided a clientele for the newly embarked artist, who was to become Australia's first resident professional colonial painter.
Throughout his career, Martens drew inspiration from Sydney Harbour, which was his favourite and perennial source of subject matter. Stylistically he combined romanticism with topographical detail, resulting in acutely observed depictions of the new colony, which were simultaneously charming and exotic.
This watercolour dates to the period in which Martens was working as the Parliamentary Librarian, a position that he had secured in 1863 and that he was to hold until his death. That this particular view was one which Martens was long familiar with is evident from a pencil sketch titled Fort Street from Flagstaff Hill dated circa 1840, which is now held in the collection of the Mitchell Library in Sydney.
Flagstaff Hill was the former name for what is now known as Observatory Hill. Previously the site of Fort Phillip, in 1858 the fort was dismantled and the Sydney Observatory was built in its place. Susanna Evans described Flagstaff Hill as it was in the mid 19th century in the following extract:
"There were in fact two enormous flagstaffs, braced by heavy chains against the winds... One corresponded telegraphically with the flagstaff at South Head, while the other was for the benefit of the inhabitants of Sydney. Messages passed between South Head and Flagstaff Hill by a series of colour-coded flags. Different colours and symbols were used on the second flagstaff to announce to Sydney's population that the longed-for ships had arrived, bringing letters from relatives in the old country. Courting couples met at the flagstaff, nursemaids walked their young charges there and hoped to meet a handsome young soldier and, as usual in early Sydney, the goats were everywhere." S Evans, Historic Sydney as seen by its Early Artists, )
Martens settled in Cumberland Street in the Rocks and his timing was fortuitous. The mid 1830s marked the era in which most of Australia's early important houses were built and the owners of these houses provided a clientele for the newly embarked artist, who was to become Australia's first resident professional colonial painter.
Throughout his career, Martens drew inspiration from Sydney Harbour, which was his favourite and perennial source of subject matter. Stylistically he combined romanticism with topographical detail, resulting in acutely observed depictions of the new colony, which were simultaneously charming and exotic.
This watercolour dates to the period in which Martens was working as the Parliamentary Librarian, a position that he had secured in 1863 and that he was to hold until his death. That this particular view was one which Martens was long familiar with is evident from a pencil sketch titled Fort Street from Flagstaff Hill dated circa 1840, which is now held in the collection of the Mitchell Library in Sydney.
Flagstaff Hill was the former name for what is now known as Observatory Hill. Previously the site of Fort Phillip, in 1858 the fort was dismantled and the Sydney Observatory was built in its place. Susanna Evans described Flagstaff Hill as it was in the mid 19th century in the following extract:
"There were in fact two enormous flagstaffs, braced by heavy chains against the winds... One corresponded telegraphically with the flagstaff at South Head, while the other was for the benefit of the inhabitants of Sydney. Messages passed between South Head and Flagstaff Hill by a series of colour-coded flags. Different colours and symbols were used on the second flagstaff to announce to Sydney's population that the longed-for ships had arrived, bringing letters from relatives in the old country. Courting couples met at the flagstaff, nursemaids walked their young charges there and hoped to meet a handsome young soldier and, as usual in early Sydney, the goats were everywhere." S Evans, Historic Sydney as seen by its Early Artists, )