Montague Dawson R.S.M.A., F.R.S.A.

Frost & Reed, London
Ambassador and Mrs. Arthur K. Watson (acquired from the above circa 1970)
Property from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas J. Watson, Jr. (acquired from the above and sold, Sotheby's, New York, December 2, 2005, lot 205, illustrated)
Acquired at the above sale

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This large and complex work is in beautiful condition. The canvas has what appears to be an English lining that is nicely stabilizing the paint layer. Under ultraviolet light, it can be seen that two or three cracks in the sky on the left side have been retouched. A horizontal scrape to the right of the large ship measuring about 5 inches long has received some retouches, but this is an isolated restoration. There do not appear to be any other restorations to the painting. The work should be hung as is.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

The Arrival, The Thetis, depicts an important geographic location off the Isle of Wight.  The vantage point of the viewer is from Alum Bay cliff top looking towards the prominent rocky outcroppings known as the Needles. The white cliffs of the Isle or Wight can be seen to the left.  The Thetis arrives calmly in Alum bay as the sails begin to be furled; the great ship dwarfing the surrounding vessels.  An armed merchant marine ship is just about to pick up her new pilot, seen approaching the great vessel in the small boat with a P on the sail. Not only is the Isle of Wright just off the coast of Dawson's Hampshire home, it is also legendary in British nautical history.  The Needles were a scene of constant shipwrecks, which went on unabated despite the presence of a lighthouse. 

Montague Dawson was born into an artistic family in London in 1895.  He was taught from an early age by his father, a Thames yachtsman and artist, and his grandfather Henry Dawson, a successful landscape painter. Montague Dawson would become perhaps the best known and most successful marine artist of his generation.

Although Dawson was not formally trained, he inherited a talent for painting, and around 1910 was hired by a commercial studio in London.  At the outbreak of World War I, he joined the Royal Navy, where he illustrated images of war for publications. After the War ended, he established himself as a painter and illustrator, concentrating on historically accurate portraits of ships, drawing on Britain’s rich nautical heritage. It was in the 1920s that he became formally associated with Frost & Reed. This association increased his exposure, and demand grew for his works. From the early 1930s he lived at Milford-on-Sea in Hampshire, and he exhibited occasionally at the Royal Academy between 1916 and 1936.