Lot Essay
From left to right, the four main vessels portrayed in this highly interesting work are believed to be:-
i The torpedo boat TB-93, built by Thornycroft in 1893 and shown in the colours she would have been wearing up to about 1898.
ii An "Apollo" Class 2nd class protected cruiser. The details and colouring, especially the heavy bow scroll, indicate that this is either the Spartan of 1890 or the Sirius of 1891. Both these vessels were painted white for overseas commmissions, the
Spartan from 1894-1897 and the Sirius from 1892-1895.
iii Probably one of the "Jubilee" class of liners built for P. & O.
The Victoria and Britannia were completed in 1887 whilst the Oceana and Arcadia were completed in 1888, and all four were modernised in 1904.
iv The Castle Line mail ship Dunottar Castle completed in 1890 and depicted prior to her modification in 1897.
Since all four of these ships operated out of either Portsmouth or Southampton, the location could well be the Solent, Spithead or off the Isle of Wight even though, in an actual convoy formation, they would never be in such close proximity to one another.
i The torpedo boat TB-93, built by Thornycroft in 1893 and shown in the colours she would have been wearing up to about 1898.
ii An "Apollo" Class 2nd class protected cruiser. The details and colouring, especially the heavy bow scroll, indicate that this is either the Spartan of 1890 or the Sirius of 1891. Both these vessels were painted white for overseas commmissions, the
Spartan from 1894-1897 and the Sirius from 1892-1895.
iii Probably one of the "Jubilee" class of liners built for P. & O.
The Victoria and Britannia were completed in 1887 whilst the Oceana and Arcadia were completed in 1888, and all four were modernised in 1904.
iv The Castle Line mail ship Dunottar Castle completed in 1890 and depicted prior to her modification in 1897.
Since all four of these ships operated out of either Portsmouth or Southampton, the location could well be the Solent, Spithead or off the Isle of Wight even though, in an actual convoy formation, they would never be in such close proximity to one another.