Frigates becalmed near the shore, firing a salute

Charles Brooking was 'bred in some department of the dockyard at Deptford' (Edward Edwards, Anecdotes of Painters, London, 1808, p. 5) and, according to Joseph Farington (Diary, vol. III, p. 766), 'had been much at sea', factors which made him exceptionally sensitive to lighting, weather conditions and the detail and handling of vessels. Brooking's work clearly demonstrates the influence of Willem van de Velde II in both composition and atmosphere, and despite his premature death he is heralded as one of the finest marine artists of his generation.