THE BURNING SHIP The above photograph was taken in about 1980. When the painting, with its companion, appeared at auction in 2006, it was depressing to see that their interesting, attractive, and in my experience unique, metal and wood frames had been replaced with what looked like a couple of painfully ordinary, cheap substitutes. Plastic? See below. There is truly no accounting for taste. The sale catalogue had some interesting comments, by a naval historian. These remarked that "several vessels of the Royal Navy were accidentally destroyed by fire during the late seventeenth century, three of which - 'Defiance' (burned 1668), 'Henry' (1682) and 'Half Moon (1686) - were all lost in the Medway, the apparent location of this particular scene. Supporting this view is the strong resemblance of the fortified building on the far left shore to Upnor Castle, the traditional guardian of the Medway during its long association with the navy." My own belief is that this picture was painted no earlier than about 1715, and that it is not intended to represent a particular incident. But, unlike some, I am always happy to be put right. Of further interest is the suggestion that the fortified building represents Upnor Castle, on the Medway, which has prompted me to take another look at the many forts depicted in other paintings of burning ships attributed to Monamy, as well as one said to be by van de Velde, and others by Francis Swaine and Charles Brooking. Here is a view of Upnor, dated 1753. Auction records for Burning Ships Christie's: 25 March, 1966, lot 130: A Ship on Fire in a Harbour at Night: s, unframed, 16 x 24 See here for more on The Burning Ship the burning ship: one © Charles Harrison Wallace 2001, 2003 |
