- 216
Isaac Sailmaker
Estimate
40,000 - 60,000 GBP
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Description
- Isaac Sailmaker
- A fifth-rate Man of War saluting an Admiralty yacht arriving in the Thames off Greenwich Palace, with merchant shipping beyond
- oil on canvas
Provenance
H.P. Kops;
Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 17 November 1976, lot 113 (for £2,940);
Private Collection, UK;
Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 25 May 2005, lot 494 (for £46,800 to Green);
With Richard Green, London, where acquired by the present owner.
Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 17 November 1976, lot 113 (for £2,940);
Private Collection, UK;
Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 25 May 2005, lot 494 (for £46,800 to Green);
With Richard Green, London, where acquired by the present owner.
Literature
F. B. Cockett, Early Sea Painters 1660-1730, Woodbridge 1995, p. 34, no. 2.
Condition
The catalogue illustration is representative. The picture appears to be in very good condition, with no apparent damage or loss of paint. Examination under ultraviolet light reveals scattered retouching overall, mostly minor infilling to craquelure in the sky, and some strengthening to one of the clouds. There is some minor retouching to the top of the stern castle in the main ship, but there does not appear to be any major structural restoration. The picture is held in a carved and gilded British Baroque style frame.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
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."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
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."
Catalogue Note
Painted before 1672 this beautifully detailed painting depicts a fifth rate Man of War saluting an Admiralty yacht coming to anchor in the centre middle ground, with a view of Greenwich beyond, including the King Charles block of John Webb's new Royal Palace with Inigo Jones's Queen's House behind. The Man of War, with her low gun ports, is a Commonwealth frigate, one of about nine built between 1654 and 1657, and later modernised after the Restoration in 1660. She may be the Dartmouth, a 32-gun ship designed by Sir John Tippetts and built at Portsmouth in 1655. The magnificent stern carving with the Royal arms would have been added soon after Charles II was invited to return to England, when the Navy swiftly replaced all Royal insignia on their ships.
In the left foreground is a second Admiralty yacht at anchor, her carved and gilded decoration picked out with the dotted brushwork characteristic of Sailmaker, whilst at the far right is a Dutch merchant flute, probably captured in the Third Anglo-Dutch War (1672-74). Born in Scheveningen, in the Netherlands, Sailmaker came to England as a young man and was painting marine views in the 1650s, twenty years before the Van der Veldes arrived in England. He made several views of Greenwich, which was adjacent to the Royal Dockyards at Deptford and Woolwich.
In the left foreground is a second Admiralty yacht at anchor, her carved and gilded decoration picked out with the dotted brushwork characteristic of Sailmaker, whilst at the far right is a Dutch merchant flute, probably captured in the Third Anglo-Dutch War (1672-74). Born in Scheveningen, in the Netherlands, Sailmaker came to England as a young man and was painting marine views in the 1650s, twenty years before the Van der Veldes arrived in England. He made several views of Greenwich, which was adjacent to the Royal Dockyards at Deptford and Woolwich.