Samuel Scott: Calms Above and left is one of Scott's more interesting marine calms. Motionless calms suited Scott's skills better than shipping under sail, since, lacking any knowledge of practical seamanship, he was unable to represent sailing weather and sea conditions convincingly. Kingzett's ODNB account of Scott is restrained, informative and objective. The Tate persists (2004) in calling him "England's leading marine painter ... from the late 1720s", which is patently untrue. The NMM says that "a marine scene by him was recorded for auction in London in 1725", which is slightly surprising. [See also Kingzett.] The defining characteristics of Scott's works, most of which feature buildings, is a semi-static monumentality. He appears, in fact, to have had a positive distaste for motion. The imposing marines below appear to confirm this assessment. Kingzett remarks that "the fishing boat furling sail (B) is an exact repetition of the one in (A), in reverse." Similarly, he notes that "Economical to the last, when it comes to the delineation of figures, Scott has populated Ludlow with some old friends from Covent Garden and the Custom House Quay". Left: Signed and dated 1729 on spar. Knoedler & Co. Inc.. 33¾ x 50½. The figures at lower right are so reminiscent of similar figures in several works now ascribed to Leemans that one suspects if Leemans worked in anyone's studio it could have been Scott's. There are one or two other similarities between Scott and Leemans, though not especially here. "When we are confronted with the expression of the mind of someone long dead, embodied in a work of art, [in] the process of coming to understand it ..... we have to develop a technique of questioning, asking questions which arise out of the work itself." Helen Gardner, The Business of Criticism, 1959. For comparison with some real marine painting, just take a look here. Exhilaration isn't the word. scott, walpole & canaletto mail cichw-0@cichw.net © Charles Harrison Wallace 2007
National Maritime Museum; Bruce Ingram Collection: image reproduced in The Connoisseur, October 1940.
Dated by the NMM to c 1765, which seems surprisingly late; 10¾ x 16½.
Firmly ascribed to Scott, though apparently unsigned; 25 x 39; Connoisseur advert, Feb 1970. Hal O'Nians Gallery.
This painting doesn't appear to be confirmed as by Scott by Kingzett; unless I've missed it.
The first known signed & dated Scott, 1726; 36½ x 42½; Christie's, May 12 1967; lot 56. Kingzett Marine A.
Described as : The Landing of King William the Third at Torbay. Verification sought. Bought in at £6500.
Compare Monamy's canvas, said to be signed and dated 1726: here.
Leggatt 1927: Marine B in Kingzett's catalogue raisonné. 36 x 28; signed & dated 1728.
Signed on spar, lhc, S.Scott 1728; 18 x 25; Arthur Tooth Gallery, London, 1949. Kingzett Marine D.
In the Samuel Scott Bicentenary catalogue the dimensions are given as 20 x 28. Agnews exhibition 1951.
Kingzett Marine E.
Signed & dated S.Scott 1738. 11½ x 13½. Lord Sandwich collection. Kingzett Marine O.
Unsigned? 20 x 28; H.Peake collection.
47½ x 72; unsigned? Connoisseur advertisement Feb, 1954; M.Bernard
No Scotts are listed in the latest National Gallery "complete" illustrated catalogue: expanded edition, 2001.
Now known as Cuckold's Point. Kingzett notes that Version A of this composition is with the Tate.
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