Down to the sea in ships

January 30, 2012 at 18:00
by admin
in Painting, Photography, Rare Books & Arts

An enquiry from a customer regarding maritime painting uncovered a watery treasure-trove!

The sun rising through vapour : Turner’s early seascapes by Paul Spencer-Longhurst

Third Millennium/The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, 2003

Difficult to go past Turner’s astonishing depictions of the sea. This book focuses on his early seascapes, with particular reference to his luminous painting, The Sun Rising Through Vapours, which depicts a British man-of-war at rest as the sun slowly rises above the horizon. The artist continued to draw inspiration from the sea for his entire life, and James Hamilton’s book Turner, the late seascapes, nicely covers his later career.

Yale University Press, 2003

Maritime paintings of early Australia 1788-1900 by Martin Terry

Melbourne University Press, 1998

Australia has a long tradition of maritime painting and this lovely book surveys the scene from the early days of European exploration and early depictions of the settlement at Sydney Cove, through to the works of major artists such as Charles Conder, Arthur Streeton, Tom Roberts and Conrad Martens. There are some remarkable images in here, not least Oswald Brierly’s Turner-esque painting from 1847, Amateur whaling, or a tale of the Pacific, which fairly leaps off the page!

The sea: photographs by Philip Plisson

Harry N. Abrams, 2002

The sea exerts its hold over photographers as well, and the camera is uniquely able to freeze its ever changing moments. Philip Plisson is clearly in love with the world’s oceans, and this beautiful book is his homage to the sea and the individuals and communities intimately bound up with it.

The dictionary of sea painters of Europe and America / E.H.H. Archibald

Antique Collectors' Club, 2ooo

Just in case you have a painting of a ship hanging on the wall and you’ve always thought about investigating it, this is the book for you! The standard reference work on a vast range of maritime artists across all periods and styles, this wonderfully informative tome comes complete with information useful for identifying types of vessels, famous ships and even maritime flags.

A gem from our shipping collection