Entered by a private vendor in heavily
re-lined condition, and estimated at £500-700, this unsigned 13in by 2ft 3in (33 x 69cm) canvas appeared to show the aftermath of some nautical accident with cargo washed up on the beach and the word ‘wreck’ clearly emblazoned on a lifeboat in the right foreground.
Paintings of wrecks, particularly when they are in relined condition, are not usually the most desirable marine subjects but in this case the presence of an American flag on a rowing boat in the centre of the composition convinced at least two UK traders that it had some
commercial potential, resulting in a price of £3400 that was the lone highlight of what was otherwise a fairly lacklustre picture section.
A wreck is raised by Old Glory
London marine sales can be routine affairs, but there was a frisson of speculative interest in this unsigned and unattributed 19th century canvas, right, which ended the 171-lot picture section of Bonhams’ (17.5/10% buyer’s premium) October 1 marine offering in Knightsbridge.
