Leo Webster
Senior Specialist
Lot 30
John Ward of Hull(British, 1798-1849)A regatta on the Humber
18 October 2017, 14:00 BST
London, KnightsbridgeSold for £13,750 inc. premium
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Rhyanon Demery
Head of Sale
Jon Baddeley
Specialist Consultant Collectors, Science & Marine
John Ward of Hull (British, 1798-1849)
A regatta on the Humber
signed 'J Ward' (lower right)
oil on canvas
61 x 91.4cm (24 x 36in).
signed 'J Ward' (lower right)
oil on canvas
61 x 91.4cm (24 x 36in).
Footnotes
The painting shows an assemblage of vessels on the Humber at the entrance to the old harbour during early evening. The composition was replicated several times by Ward and versions of it are in the collection of the Hull Museums and private collections. However, this appears to be by far the largest version.
The entrance of the old harbour was marked by the two wooden dolphins shown at the far sides of the composition and the presence of fishermen bringing in their nets suggests a low tide.
The main vessel is likely to be the Amazon registered in Hull in 1829. She is shown flying the 'Blue Peter' and preparing to sail. The vessel to the right of her appears to be the Maese built in 1841 and again, preparing to sail. The vessel to the left might possibly be the schooner Dandie Dinmomt built in 1848 and her inclusion would make the painting a very late work. The single masted cutter to the far right is most likely to be the Revenue Cutter Bee, built in 1828. There are several compositions by Ward which show this cutter anchored by the entrance to the old harbour. In this instance she might possibly be marking the finish of the rowing regatta taking place at the front of the composition.
Interestingly the composition shows almost every kind of vessel that plied its trade on the Humber during the period including several steam ships visible in the background. Of particular note is the Humber Gold-duster tied to the buoy at the starboard side of the Amazon, as these were the favoured vessels of the Hull watermen and were used to ferry crew and goods from ship to shore and vice versa. The Gold-duster is unique to the Humber at Hull.
We are grateful to Arthur Credland for his assistance with cataloguing this lot.