A twenty-four gun Sixth Rate of the Royal Navy in three positions off a dockyard

Predominantly a painter in oils, John Cleveley, Sen., executed several similar views of Royal Naval ships and East Indiamen anchored off the dockyards and harbours of Deptford, Falmouth and Portsmouth. On a similarly grand scale to these ship's portraits, the work offered here, thought to be by Cleveley, is a rare example of a pen and ink drawing displaying the same attention to detail and bold outlines of his oil paintings. It appears likely that the drawing may have been a design for a print.