This late 19th-century oil painting by Belgian artist Henry Loos (fl. 1870-1894) depicts a full-rigged three-masted British ship before a distant port.

Given the thriving nature of maritime trade during the latter part of the 19th century, each major continental port developed a flourishing art industry. British sailors, for example, could bring back portraits of their ships from over a dozen destinations. Today, these fascinating mementos of successful voyages serve not only as decoration but also as a record of the ship in question.

Antwerp was one of the busier ports and produced several ship painters of distinction. One of the foremost was Petrus Cornelius Weyts (1799-1855), whose works often surface in Britain. He was a master of reverse glass painting, the skill of depicting a subject, flipped, onto glass using various mediums. The technique was popular in Antwerp and resulted in a crisp and vivid style, often enhanced with strong colouring. As a result, the following generation of artists, inspired by this, painted in a similar way when working on canvas.

Here, in this piece from 1874, we see a fine example of Antwerp's distinctive manner. Henry Loos, a local artist of repute, has adopted a clean-cut, and rather striking, approach to capture this full-rigged British ship. It’s heeling to the port side, partially revealing its deck for added interest. There’s land beyond, probably a view of the ship’s home port.

Little is known about the life of Henry Loos but it’s likely that he was the brother of John Frederick Loos (fl. 1861-1895) whose works exhibit similar traits.

He’s represented at the National Library of Wales.

Signed/dated in the lower right and held within a splendid bird’s eye maple frame, which is probably original.

Learn more about Henry Loos in our directory.

Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 34” x 24” / 76cm x 61cm
Year of creation: 1874
Provenance: Private collection, UK.
Condition: Assessed and approved by our conservator. Cleaned. Canvas relined. Fine and settled craquelure, as you would expect. The paint layer is stable. Frame with light marks and signs of age.
Artist’s auction maximum: £6,500 for ‘Glenesk off the Coast (1898)’, Oil on canvas, Sotheby's, The Marine Sale, London, 2000 (lot 149).
Our reference: BRV1855