FDA-D.1707-2023
Parts
Object number
FDA-D.1707-2023
Object type
Identification
Title
Shipping Scene at Night
Title Type
Common name
Description
Painted view of ships on the water at night; sky brightly lit by a full moon
Comments
Henry Scott Tuke was born in Yorkshire but moved to Falmouth at a young age for the sake of his father’s health. He enrolled at the Slade School of Art in London, aged 17, before studying in Paris and Italy. Tuke joined the colony of painters at Newlyn, Cornwall, in 1883 and embraced their practice of painting people going about their daily lives outdoors, rather than posing professional models in studio settings. He later focused on the nude and is best known for his views of young male bathers on sandy Cornish beaches.
In 1885, soon after the completion of the new docks, Tuke returned to Falmouth, remaining until his death in 1929. He was a keen sailor and his passion for boats and ships led him to produce numerous meticulously studied watercolour records of vessels, such as this example. These have been described as collectively creating a virtual survey of sailing ships still afloat. Tuke exhibited these works at the Royal Society of Painters in Water Colours in London and many were sold at the gallery he established with fellow artists in Falmouth.
In 1885, soon after the completion of the new docks, Tuke returned to Falmouth, remaining until his death in 1929. He was a keen sailor and his passion for boats and ships led him to produce numerous meticulously studied watercolour records of vessels, such as this example. These have been described as collectively creating a virtual survey of sailing ships still afloat. Tuke exhibited these works at the Royal Society of Painters in Water Colours in London and many were sold at the gallery he established with fellow artists in Falmouth.
Description
Dimensions
height (actual size): 212mm
width (actual size): 134mm
width (actual size): 134mm
Inscription
Signed lower left: 'H S Tuke'
Material
paper
watercolour
watercolour
Materials & techniques note
Watercolour over pencil on paper
Production
Person
Tuke, Henry Scott, 1858 - 1929 (Artist)
Date
c.1900
History and association
Object history note
Provenance: Collection of Richard Henry Allen Amis (K.S. 1945-50; 1932-2018); by whom bequeathed to Eton College
Exhibited: 'An Etonian Collector: The Richard Amis Bequest', The Verey Gallery, Eton College, 16 November 2023 to 24 March 2024
Exhibited: 'An Etonian Collector: The Richard Amis Bequest', The Verey Gallery, Eton College, 16 November 2023 to 24 March 2024
