A striking work by the artist Montague Dawson, best known for painting such ships on open driving oceans. The sharp bodied hull in a brilliant white with a red-oxide coloration at the barely visible waterline is moving smartly over the ocean, with nearly every sail in its contingent set. It is our belief that this ship's identity may come with additional research, as an American ship with such a look would be known to some people on sight, including the men shown on its deck.
The composition has nice touches pulled from Dawson's overall repertoire, and the shore of the distant headland, with a fore-and-aft rigged vessel, give the sailing ship a nice sense of scale. She is moving rapidly, with assist from the stuns'ls wide on each wooden yard. The natural wood coloration at the rail harkens back to the best ships of the world's sailing navies.
From where Dawson garnered his inspiration for this excellent work remains to be discovered. He often worked in smaller sketches, and with models, and the titles of most of his works were recorded in L.G.G. Ramsey's catalogue of paintings by the artist in 1967. Every element that is sought in his art, from the deep impasto flourish of a white-capped blue-green sea, an atmosphere of complementary coloration with blue sky and moving clouds, and a spectacular driven and detailed ship, is present in this painting.
