Marine Paintings

/

Lot 54
  • 54

Thomas Somerscales 1842-1927

bidding is closed

Description

  • Thomas Somerscales
  • The coast of the desert off Tarapaca
  • signed l.r.:TSomerscales / 1907 and inscribed on the stretcher:"Off Tapanea" [sic] The coast of the Desert
  • oil on canvas

Literature

Alex Hurst, Thomas Somerscales, Marine Artists, His Life and work, 1988, p.35

Catalogue Note

Tarapaca is a northern provence of Chile.  It makes up part of the desert region of the Pacific coast, and adjoins the Atacama desert.

Somerscales first travelled to Chile in 1903 and it was on his return in 1904 that he exhibited at the Royal Academy his first painting of Tarapaca (no.387).  Somerscales made his second trip to Chile in 1907, and since he did not return to England until 1908 it is reasonable to assume that he painted the present work whilst abroad.  Somerscales painted many of the merchant trading vessels which travelled from Chile to Europe, usually carying cargo of copper ore and later nitrate of soda.