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Lot Essay
The tangible result of the reduction in the duty on importing tea into England in the 1860s was the creation of a new generation of clipper ships; all exceptionally stylish, it was their capacity for speed however which provoked the most admiration and few events caught the world's imagination more than the spectacular 'Tea Races' of that exciting decade. Each year the clippers went out to China in the spring and waited at one of several ports for the tea to be brought down from the interior. The principal loading port was Foochow, up river from the coast, and, usually in May, the most celebrated clippers afloat lay there awaiting cargoes.
The widely acclaimed Taeping was the first composite tea clipper to be launched from the Clydeside yard of Robert Steele at Greenock and she was destined to become one of the most famous of her breed. Built to the order of Alexander Rodger of Glasgow in 1863, she was registered at 767 tons and measured 183= feet in length with a 31 foot beam. Excelling in light winds, she made a very good maiden voyage home with her first tea in 1864 despite being disabled by a severe typhoon off the island of Formosa and being forced into Amoy for emergency repairs. Her equally good run home to England in 104 days in 1865 was eclipsed the next year however by her extraordinary 99-day race against her arch-rival Ariel when, only 10 minutes behind her running mate off the Downs, Taeping managed to dock in London 30 minutes ahead of her rival. So close was the finish that the race was declared a dead heat and the two vessels shared the glory as well as the premium on the first tea cargo of the year. In 1867 she was first home again with the new season's tea crop in a run of 102 days, even though this was not the fastest passage of the year, and 1868 witnessed yet another memorable dash home, with Taeping only beaten in the final stage up the English Channel from the Scilly Isles. A less notable passage in 1869 was followed by being first home once again in 1870, but her final voyage the next year ended in disaster when she was wrecked off Ladd's Reef in the South China Sea on 22nd September 1871.
The legendary 'Tea Race' of 1866 was the most thrilling of them all and proved a remarkable challenge between four of the greatest clippers of their era, Ariel, Taeping, Fiery Cross and Serica. By the end of May that year, all had completed loading their cargoes and were making their way down-river to the sea; by noon on 30th May each was in open water and thus began the most memorable tea race ever run, with the four ships passing, re-passing and sometimes even sailing abreast of each other throughout the long journey home. By the time they reached the Scillies for the final dash, Ariel and Taeping were neck and neck as they raced up the English Channel logging 14 knots for much of 5th September. At 8.00am. the next day, Ariel signalled her number off Deal with Taeping only ten minutes astern of her. Off the Nore, Taeping picked up the better of the two available tugs and arrived off Gravesend just ahead of Ariel to wait for the tide. Still a race even to the last, Taeping - drawing less water than her rival - docked in London at 9.47pm., Ariel at 10.15pm and Serica got in at 11.30pm., just as the dock gates were closing. It was a remarkable finish to an astonishing race across the world,the like of which was never repeated in quite such breathtaking style.
Although Montague Dawson painted several versions of the great duel between Taeping and Ariel during their race home to England in 1866, the work offered in this catalogue is believed to be his only portrait of Taeping sailing alone. A truly classic work by the artist, Dawson has captured her exactly as her contemporaries witnessed her and posterity remembers her - namely, "excelling" in those light winds which so favoured her.
The widely acclaimed Taeping was the first composite tea clipper to be launched from the Clydeside yard of Robert Steele at Greenock and she was destined to become one of the most famous of her breed. Built to the order of Alexander Rodger of Glasgow in 1863, she was registered at 767 tons and measured 183= feet in length with a 31 foot beam. Excelling in light winds, she made a very good maiden voyage home with her first tea in 1864 despite being disabled by a severe typhoon off the island of Formosa and being forced into Amoy for emergency repairs. Her equally good run home to England in 104 days in 1865 was eclipsed the next year however by her extraordinary 99-day race against her arch-rival Ariel when, only 10 minutes behind her running mate off the Downs, Taeping managed to dock in London 30 minutes ahead of her rival. So close was the finish that the race was declared a dead heat and the two vessels shared the glory as well as the premium on the first tea cargo of the year. In 1867 she was first home again with the new season's tea crop in a run of 102 days, even though this was not the fastest passage of the year, and 1868 witnessed yet another memorable dash home, with Taeping only beaten in the final stage up the English Channel from the Scilly Isles. A less notable passage in 1869 was followed by being first home once again in 1870, but her final voyage the next year ended in disaster when she was wrecked off Ladd's Reef in the South China Sea on 22nd September 1871.
The legendary 'Tea Race' of 1866 was the most thrilling of them all and proved a remarkable challenge between four of the greatest clippers of their era, Ariel, Taeping, Fiery Cross and Serica. By the end of May that year, all had completed loading their cargoes and were making their way down-river to the sea; by noon on 30th May each was in open water and thus began the most memorable tea race ever run, with the four ships passing, re-passing and sometimes even sailing abreast of each other throughout the long journey home. By the time they reached the Scillies for the final dash, Ariel and Taeping were neck and neck as they raced up the English Channel logging 14 knots for much of 5th September. At 8.00am. the next day, Ariel signalled her number off Deal with Taeping only ten minutes astern of her. Off the Nore, Taeping picked up the better of the two available tugs and arrived off Gravesend just ahead of Ariel to wait for the tide. Still a race even to the last, Taeping - drawing less water than her rival - docked in London at 9.47pm., Ariel at 10.15pm and Serica got in at 11.30pm., just as the dock gates were closing. It was a remarkable finish to an astonishing race across the world,the like of which was never repeated in quite such breathtaking style.
Although Montague Dawson painted several versions of the great duel between Taeping and Ariel during their race home to England in 1866, the work offered in this catalogue is believed to be his only portrait of Taeping sailing alone. A truly classic work by the artist, Dawson has captured her exactly as her contemporaries witnessed her and posterity remembers her - namely, "excelling" in those light winds which so favoured her.