This mid-19th-century oil painting by British artist Richard Ball Spencer (1812-1897) depicts the brig ‘Era’ before the iconic white cliffs of Dover. Spencer was a self-taught marine painter hailing from the east end of London.

Built in Rochester, Kent, the era was a two-sail, square-rigged brig which traversed the seas until being wrecked off the coast of Easington in Durham in 1857. Her demise was reported extensively in the press due to the gallantry of two hardy locals who put their own lives in peril when rescuing the crew. We’ve included a full report in our artist directory.

Richard Ball Spencer lived, for most of his life, in Mile End Old Town, East London and often travelled to nearby ports in search of new commissions. He’s referred to as a ‘pierhead painter’, which is a term used to describe those who specialised in portraits of ships for the seaman travelling aboard them. It was far from a straightforward endeavour as each painting would require completion before the ship departed. Works of this nature tended to depict a broadside view, as we see here, and usually with the ship in full sail. Clearly, some artistic licence was involved as the artists rarely left port.

Despite the time constraints, Spencer has included some of the finer details in this depiction including numerous crew members working on deck. There’s also an iconic red ensign fluttering in the wind along with a pennant and Union Jack.

Richard Ball Spencer is represented in numerous public collections including the National Maritime Museum, Science Museum, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, Government Art Collection, and The National Library of Wales. His son, William Ball Spencer (1854-1923), was also an artist.

Held within a splendid 19th-century scroll and foliate gilt frame, which is probably original.

Learn more about Richard Ball Spencer in our directory.

Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 37” x 27½” / 94cm x 70cm
Year of creation: c. 1850
Provenance: Private collection, UK.
Condition: Cleaned. Canvas relined. Craquelure in areas. The paint layer is stable. Frame with various marks and showing its age.
Artist’s auction maximum: £40,000 for ‘The Battle of the Nile, 1798, the Destruction of The Orient after Thomas Luny’, Oil on canvas, Christie’s, Interiors, London, 2018 (lot 173).
Our reference: BRV1943