George R. Cummings, 20th Century
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George R. Cummings, 20th Century

Two polar giants - Endurance and Discovery in icy waters

Details
George R. Cummings, 20th Century
Two polar giants - Endurance and Discovery in icy waters
the first signed, inscribed and dated 'George R. Cummings/Edinburgh 2003' (lower left) and '"Endurance"/Weddell Sea Antartica' (lower right); the second signed, inscribed and dated 'George R. Cummings./Edinburgh copyright' (lower left) and '"R.R.S. Discovery"' (lower right)
oil on board
12 x 30 in. (30.5 x 76.2 cm.)
a pair (2)
Special notice
No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium, which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

Endurance was a steam-assisted barquentine built at Sandefjord, Norway, in 1912. Intended for tourist cruises in the Arctic, she was chosen by Ernest Shackleton to convey his 1914-16 Trans-Antarctic expedition party to the Weddell Sea from where he and six men would cross the continent via the South Pole. After leaving England in August 1914, Endurance cleared her last landfall on South Georgia on 5th December and entered the pack ice in the Weddell Sea on the 11th. A month of intermittent progress followed but, by mid-January 1915, the ship was stuck fast in the ice from which she never escaped. Although Endurance was subsequently crushed and sunk, her crew was eventually rescued after Shackleton's legendary mission to get help which is now recognised as one of the most epic journeys in the history of exploration.

Captain Scott's first Antarctic flagship Discovery was designed as a purpose-built research vessel and launched from the Stevens' Yard of the Dundee Shipbuilders Company in 1901. Ordered and paid for by the National Antarctic Expedition led by Scott, she displaced 1,570 tons and measured 171 feet in length with a 43 foot beam. Rigged as an auxiliary barque, she was fitted with a triple expansion engine capable of 8 knots and equipped with a hoisting propeller and rudder so as to avoid damage if imprisoned in ice. Leaving Cowes in August 1901, she entered the Ross Sea to discover Edward VII Land in January 1902 and then lay offshore when Scott established his winter quarters near Mount Erebus on Ross Island for the duration of the expedition. Although remaining icebound throughout 1902-03, Discovery finally broke free in January 1904 and arrived back in Portsmouth that September. In old age she was acquired by the Boy Scouts' Association as a training ship and is now preserved at Dundee where she was built.

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