Frigates becalmed near the shore, firing a salute

Details

CHARLES BROOKING (DEPTFORD 1723-1759 LONDON)
Frigates becalmed near the shore, firing a salute
oil on canvas
23 ½ x 34 ¼ in. (59.7 x 87 cm.)

Provenance

Reverend H. B. George, Holywell Lodge, Oxford.
Dr and Mrs A. G. Peto, circa 1960, and by descent.

Literature

D. Joel, Charles Brooking 1723-1759 and the 18th Century British Marine Painters, Woodbridge, 2000, p. 125, no. 29, illustrated.

Exhibited

Aldeburgh, Aldeburgh Festival of Music and the Arts; and Bristol, Bristol City Art Gallery, Charles Brooking, 1723-1759, paintings, drawings and engravings, 9 June -30 July 1966, no. 35, lent by Dr & Mrs A.G. Peto (Bristol only).

Conditions of sale

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Lucy Speelman Junior Specialist, Head of Part II

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Lot Essay

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.

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