This late 19th-century oil painting by Irish artist William McAlpine (1821/22-after 1891) depicts a sailing vessel consumed by fire upon calm coastal waters.
Flames tear through the centre of the ship as a great column of smoke rises into an expansive, turbulent sky. Figures gather towards the bow, while smaller vessels remain nearby. Across the foreground, the catastrophe is reflected upon an eerily placid surface.
McAlpine has concentrated almost all of the drama into a relatively small area at the centre of an unusually broad composition. The burning vessel occupies only a fraction of the canvas, yet the eye is immediately drawn towards it. Brilliant touches of orange and red emerge through black smoke before dissolving into the surrounding cloud, while passages of clear blue remain visible beyond. The sheer amount of sky is particularly effective.
This was an area in which McAlpine excelled. Although he described himself simply as an “Artist (Shipping)” in the census of 1881, his surviving works demonstrate an interest extending beyond the accurate depiction of vessels. Ships frequently became vehicles through which he explored weather, light, smoke and movement, leading Royal Museums Greenwich to note the Turneresque qualities of his work.
The precise event represented here has been the subject of considerable investigation. At various times, the painting has been suggested to depict the destruction of HMS Boyne at Spithead in 1795, the burning of the SS Eastern Monarch off Spithead in 1859, or the loss by fire of the celebrated clipper Lightning. None of these identifications, however, can presently be regarded as secure. Intriguingly, the painting was investigated in 1971 by Edward H. H. Archibald of the National Maritime Museum, a noted authority on British marine painting.
Whether the ship depicted here can ultimately be identified remains an enticing question for future research. What is certain is that McAlpine has transformed its destruction into something both terrible and strangely beautiful.
Held in a substantial original Victorian giltwood and composition frame, with broad gilt slip and ornate foliate mouldings.
Learn more about William McAlpine in our directory.
Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 61” x 41” / 156cm x 104cm
Year of creation: c. 1875
Labels & Inscriptions: Canvas stamps on the reverse relating to the colourman Arthur Rayner. It bears the address "Tottenham Court Road", where Rayner was based between 1874 and 1877.
Provenance: Private collection, Scotland.
Condition: Cleaned. Revarnished. Faint stretcher marks. Craquelure throughout. The paint layer is stable. Frame with various marks and showing its age.
Artist’s auction maximum: £8,226 achieved in 2023 for ‘The Old Temeraire at Her Last Moorings’.
Our reference: BRV2309
