This bustling late 19th-century oil painting by British marine painter William Anslow Thornbery (1847-1907) depicts a busy day off Portsmouth, with fishing boats battling choppy water before a distant group of old naval hulks.
In the foreground, a small open boat rises and falls upon the waves as several fishermen work together, apparently hauling their nets. Beyond them, a group of sailing vessels lean into the breeze, their sails catching the wind while figures aboard attend to the rigging. To the right, spectators gather beside the harbour buildings to watch the activity.
And then, through the haze, Thornbery gives us something altogether different. Several large old ships lie offshore, their pale hulls and tall masts appearing almost spectral against the horizon. Portsmouth had been at the heart of Britain's naval life for centuries, and its waters offered an extraordinary mixture of working vessels, warships and redundant ships from an earlier age. Old wooden vessels which had outlived their original purpose could remain afloat as hulks, sometimes stripped of their sailing equipment and adapted for other uses.
For a marine painter, they must have been irresistible. Thornbery was fascinated by harbours and the different vessels occupying them, and here the old ships provide an atmospheric counterpoint to the vigorous activity nearer the viewer. The fishermen are working, sails are pulling, waves are breaking and boats are moving through the water. The hulks simply remain.
It gives the painting an intriguing sense of maritime change. Sail, steam and traditional fishing craft occupy the same stretch of water, while the ageing vessels beyond seem to belong to another generation altogether.
Thornbery reinforces this contrast through his handling. The foreground is energetic and broken, with white water flickering across darker greens, blues and browns. Above it, an expansive sky of pale blue and drifting cloud brings freshness and light, while distance gradually dissolves into silvery haze.
As with so many of Thornbery's best marine paintings, the scene feels observed rather than invented. One can imagine him somewhere along the Portsmouth waterfront, watching fishermen bring in their nets while vessels passed continually before him.
Inscribed on the reverse and held in a later frame.
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Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 28” x 20” / 71cm x 51cm
Year of creation: c. 1890
Labels & Inscriptions: Inscribed with the title on the reverse.
Provenance: Private collection, UK.
Condition: Cleaned. Revarnished. Craquelure throughout. The paint layer is stable. Frame in good condition with minor age-related wear.
Artist’s auction maximum: £10,500 achieved in 2006 for ‘Moonlit Docks/Sunset on the Banks’.
Our reference: BRV2369
