Thomas Buttersworth (1768-1842)

Thomas Buttersworth (British, 1768-1842)

Title:
The Wreck of a British Third Rate, with Rescue at Hand

20 × 26 in. (51 × 66 cm) canvas

Provenance:

Bonhams, London, The Maritime Sale, New Bond Street, 15 August 2002, lot 388, titled The wreck of a British third rate, with rescue at hand, oil on canvas, 20 x 26 in., est.

A dramatic Napoleonic-period marine painting by Thomas Buttersworth, one of Britain’s most respected naval artists. A 74-gun British third-rate ship of the line has come to grief off a rocky lee shore, her masts damaged and hull beaten by heavy seas. Against a backdrop of towering cliffs and storm-darkened sky, a crowded boat battles through the breaking surf to reach the stricken warship—“rescue at hand” as the original title puts it.

Buttersworth balances meticulous naval detail with Romantic drama: the structure of the ship, the shattered rigging and the play of spray across the hull are rendered with the accuracy expected from a former Royal Navy seaman, while the rolling green-black sea and luminous break in the clouds create a powerful theatrical focus on the rescue attempt.

Thomas Buttersworth served in the Royal Navy before establishing himself as a professional marine painter in London. His highly detailed depictions of fleet actions, ship portraits and coastal scenes became widely collected, and his work is represented in numerous museum and institutional collections. Auction records show a long and active market for his oils, particularly for strong narrative compositions with major warships.