This extensive early 19th-century oil painting attributed to British artist Frederick Calvert (c.1780-1834) depicts a view ‘off Scarborough’ with various craft amid a turbulent sea. Calvert was an accomplished painter, watercolourist and engraver of marine scenes and coastal views.
Numerous vessels, including several small fishing boats and an impressive British warship, battle the elements in choppy waters. Each is rendered with precision, along with the cliffs beyond and their pepperings of architecture. Scarborough was one of the primary shipbuilding centres on the East Coast, with as many as 15 ships launched in a single year.
Born in Cork, Ireland, little is known about Calvert’s training but it would appear that, during the early part of his career, he worked primarily as a draughtsman and topographer. In 1807, his aquatint of Parliament Bridge in Cork was published, and five years later, he was shown at the Society of Artists in Dublin with 'View near Rathfarnham'. Following a move to England in 1815, he continued in this vein, publishing four drawings of 'The Interior of Tintern Abbey', and later, a series of lithographs titled 'The Forest Illustrated'.
Towards the end of the 1820s, we see the first recorded examples of his marine scenes, which could be an indication of changing tastes. During the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815), epic tales of seaborne drama captured the imagination of the British public. This, in turn, influenced both literature and painting. It was an ideal subject for the Romantics as it dealt with the sublimity of nature, death and man’s ultimate helplessness amid the elements.
Artists specialising in this genre often looked back to the Dutch Masters, such as Willem van de Velde the Elder and his son, for inspiration. The Younger was a particular influence on British painters as he spent most of his working life here. When we compare Calvert’s ‘Shipping Off Dover’ with a work by Van De Velde The Younger, the similarities become evident.
From his studio in Pall Mall, London, Frederick Calvert established a credible reputation as an artist of merit, capturing views from across the country. Many of these feature coastal buildings, precisely rendered with a topographer’s attention to detail. His circle of acquaintances presumably included the artist Isaac Robert Cruickshank (1764-1811), as his daughter, Harriet, married Cruickshank’s son, Percy.
There’s some confusion surrounding his death as, despite being buried on the 9th of May 1834, several known works bear later dates. In addition, ‘Ramsgate Lighthouse and Harbour’ was shown at the Royal Society of British Artists in 1844. It’s conceivable that these were completed by a son.
He’s represented in numerous public collections including at the British Museum, V&A Museum, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, and the Government Art Collection.
Held in a later frame.
Learn more about Frederick Calvert in our directory.
Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 29½” x 23½” / 75cm x 60cm
Year of creation: c. 1830
Labels & Inscriptions: Framer’s label relating to J. Davey & Sons of Liverpool. Further label, partially illegible, possibly reading ‘Bromley & Son’.
Provenance: Coltmans House in Berkshire.
Condition: Cleaned. Revarnished. Canvas relined. Craquelure throughout. The paint layer is stable. Frame in good condition with minor age-related wear. Areas of in-painting following restoration.
Artist’s auction maximum: £8,000 for ‘Fishing Boats off Ryde, Isle of Wight (1839)’, Oil on canvas, Salisbury, 8 March 2023.
Our reference: BRV2159
