Robert Salmon

Fosters, where bought by Sir David Scott before 1930 for £30

Sotheby's, Pictures from the Collection of Sir David and Lady Scott, 2008, pp. 32-35.

STRUCTURE The canvas has been relined. PAINT SURFACE Old scattered craquelure throughout which has been stabilised by the relining. There is a small spot of cracking and paint lifting on the upper border, centre left. Also signs of old restored frame abrasions along edges, possibly from a previous smaller stretcher. ULTRAVIOLET UV light reveals some patches of retouching in places across the sky and to the stretcher mark running across the upper border, also visible to the naked eye; some further scattered spots of old retouching. FRAME Held in a decorative gilded composite frame.
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NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

'The background in this picture probably represents the estuary of the Mersey where most of Salmon's pictures were painted. I like these very exact paintings of ships. Although the artist puts in every rope there is nothing stiff or wooden about the picture. I have often seen the sea look just like this.' Sir David Scott

This is one of two paintings by Robert Salmon that Sir David Scott owned, the other being A Sailing Clipper in the Firth of Clyde purchased from Doig, Wilson and Wheatley in June 1945 for £18.18. That picture was sold at Christie's in 1972 and David Scott regretted parting with it. His father was an Admiral in the Navy  and therefore Sir David could not only admire the aesthetics of Salmon's work but also understood the intricate workings of a sailing ship.

The present work shows a 52-gun 4th-rate man-of-war of the Red Squadron departing from the 'Tail of the Bank' anchorage in the upper Firth of Clyde; the 'bank' referring to the shallows in the upper reaches towards Glasgow. At the foremast the blue flag, pierced with white, is the Blue Peter indicating imminent departure. Her main and fore courses are still clewed up, allowing good all round visibility in confined waters, and the royal yards are being hoisted with some hands still aloft in the rigging.  The squadron are clearly underway as the two distant men-of-war on the right and left of the painting, also fly the Blue Peter. The background is typical of Salmon's topographical skill; facing southeast, the busy waterfront near Greenock, in the shelter of the hills, is meticulously painted. A most interesting feature, visible directly under the bowsprit of the central frigate, is a very early steamer, possibly the Comet. The Clyde, with its sheltered waterways, was a natural area to experiment with steam powered vessels. The Comet, Great Britain's first trading steamer, was built by Henry Bell and launched in 1812 which coincides with Salmon's stay in the area. The steam from this vessel, as well as the chimneys along the waterfront, indicate an easterly wind, favourable conditions for the squadron to make their way to the open sea.

Robert Salmon was born in Whitehaven in 1775, second child of Francis and Susannah. His father was a silversmith by trade and there is a sugar basket bearing his father's mark in the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. The discipline, observation and attention to detail inherent in a master craftsman seem to have passed from father to son. There is no evidence that the young Robert had any formal training, although it has been suggested that Henry Nutter Junior (1758-1808), a local portrait painter and figurehead carver may have provided some guidance. Salmon's earliest known painting, Two Merchantmen Leaving Whitehaven, dates from 1800 and two years later he exhibited Whitehaven Harbour at the Royal Academy; his address at the time was listed as 15 Tabernacle Square, London. He returned to Whitehaven briefly in 1806 before moving to Liverpool where he worked for five years, supplying the demand for ship portraits and views of the city itself. 

On 13 April 1811 Salmon arrived at Greenock on the River Clyde in Scotland. The magnificent scenery along with the thriving shipyards and developments in steam navigation clearly provided ample stimulation for the artist as he lived and worked there for over ten years. Salmon exhibited ten paintings at the Greenock Arts Society in 1813 prompting one critic to write, 'This artist, as a marine painter, is perhaps excelled by few. His pictures are touched with minuteness and brilliancy...'.  The present work displays these qualities admirably. Greenock lies about twenty-two miles west of Glasgow. The docks and waterfront can be seen clearly in another of Salmon's paintings, An 18-gun Snow and Other Shipping off the Tail of the Bank; that picture, executed in 1813, is painted from a similar point of view to the present work, facing south east. Greenock developed from a small town, whose fishing fleet specialised in catching herring, into a significant port with prosperous sugar and rope-making industries. The Edinburgh born architect William Burn designed and built the Custom House at Greenock in 1818, a distinguished landmark which appears in a number of Salmon's compositions from this period.  

Salmon returned to Liverpool in 1822. Although he was based there his work suggests extensive travel with views from Newcastle, Sunderland and Durham to Devon, Cornwall and Bristol. Without any family responsibilities Salmon set sail for New York on 16 June, 1828. He settled in Boston with a studio on the waterfront where he lived for more than a decade. His timing could hardly have been more fortuitous coinciding as it did with Boston's maritime heyday. The city's population was growing almost as rapidly as her prosperity and there was a steady stream of commissions from shipowners, merchants and officers. Salmon enjoyed exceptional critical and commercial success during this period, gaining a large number of significant, local and regular patrons. 

The present work is a fine example of Salmon's mature style. Its topographical accuracy is matched by a meticulously detailed display of the workings of the frigate. Also present is Salmon's idiosyncratic treatment of waves and weather conditions rendered with a deft mastery of light and shade.