{"title":"Marine Paintings","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"serres-john-thomas-british-1759-1825-a-british-frigate-in-the-bay-of-naples-1823","title":"Serres, John Thomas (British, 1759-1825). A British Frigate in the Bay of Naples. 1823.","description":"\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJohn Thomas Serres (British, 1759-1825)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eA British Frigate in the Bay of Naples\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOil on canvas\u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSigned and dated \"Gio. n i T. Serres \/1823\" on center boat\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e32\" x 48\" canvas, 36\" x 52\" framed\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe golden age of Naples was epitomized through art, culture, science and modernity reaching an apex. Naples enjoyed a period of rapid modernity, an influx of cultural institutions, and critical industrial developments, such as the implementation of the first railroad in Italy. In 1734, Spanish prince, later known as King Charles III, conquered Naples and Sicily to come under rule of the Spanish Bourbons. In remaining steadfast with the eighteenth century theme of “Enlightened absolutism,” the Spanish autocratic ruler sought to modernize Naples, culturally grow the city, as well as create social and political reforms for the city.\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eWhen Charles III took the throne to rule both Naples and Sicily, he immediately commissioned artists to paint his portrait, thus leading to a surge in Neapolitan art. Additionally, there were a number of building projects and the restoration of royal residences that led to a cultural flourishing.\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003eThe city blossomed artistically, economically, and politically under the Bourbon dynasty, especially through the patronage of Charles III. Commissions under Charles III gave way to the development of Naples and the city’s golden age. The Kingdom of Naples comprised all of Italy south of the Papal States, including Sicily. Moreover, Naples proved to be one of the most powerful and alluring European cities at the latter half of the 1700s throughout the early 1800s.\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eAfter the Napoleonic Wars, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was established in 1816 which consisted of a merger between the Kingdom of Naples and the Kingdom of Sicily under King Charles III. Although Charles III had ruled both Sicily and Naples, they were technically still two separate kingdoms until he merged the two in 1816. Following the unification of Sicily and Naples, Naples became the capital. Therefore, the port of Naples was paramount to the continued success of the Bourbon dynasty. The city’s position in the Mediterranean Sea made Naples a hub for trade, commerce and other maritime activity which is clearly referenced in the painting by Serres. The Spanish Bourbons ruled Naples until 1860, roughly ten years before the unification of Italy in 1871.\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eA British Frigate in the Bay of Naples\u003c\/i\u003e, created in 1823, is evocative of the growth and prosperity Naples was experiencing up to and throughout the 1800s. Serres’s view shows an English frigate at anchor in the bay, flying the Blue Peter, indicating that she is ‘ready to depart’. The bay is filled with local small craft, one of which is flying the red and white colours of Malta. Behind the frigate, to the left, is Castel dell’Ovo on its promontory, and further to the left Castel Nuovo, a thirteenth century stronghold rebuilt by the Aragonese conquerors of Naples in the mid-fifteenth century. The buildings of the Old City march up towards the star-shaped Castel Sant’Elmo, which crowns the horizon with the dazzling white complex of the Certosa di San Martino. In the distance Vesuvius is seen erupting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eJohn Thomas Serres was born 1759 in London and was the eldest son to artist Dominic Serres, the Elder. Serres inherited his father’s position as Marine Painter to King George III in 1793 following his passing. Serres’s work is represented in numerous presitigous institiutional collections including the Royal Collection, London and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Arader Galleries","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43759683534892,"sku":null,"price":145000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1156\/7956\/files\/Serres.Naples_1copy.jpg?v=1754082121"},{"product_id":"birch-thomas-1779-1851-ships-at-the-entrance-of-a-port-new-york","title":"BIRCH, Thomas (1779-1851), Ships at the Entrance of a Port [New York]","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eBIRCH, Thomas (1779-1851) \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eShips at the Entrance of a Port [New York] \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOil on canvas\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e20” x 30 1\/8” canvas\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVibrant scene of New York Harbor with the USS Constitution in the left foreground and the fortifications of Governor’s Island on the right. The work is highly reminiscent of the one by Birch in the Museum of Fine Arts Boston (Ref 47.1181), with the same composition, vantage point and dimensions. Another similar painting by Birch in the Springwood estate of Franklin D. Roosevelt in Hyde Park, New York shows the USS Constitution leaving New York Harbor.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThroughout his prolific career, Birch painted a variety of landscapes, though his most accomplished works by far are his sea- scapes. He first took up marine painting at the outbreak of the War of 1812, and immediately found an audience eager for depictions of battles at sea. Although he continued to paint landscapes, particularly with river views and country estates, many of his works from the second half of his career are naval scenes that reflect his mastery of the Anglo-Dutch tradition of marine painting. His mature work is characterized by a break from the rigid lines of his early paintings, with clear coloring and a clean palette that served well his desire to transmit the freshness of light and the fluidity of water that is evident in his earlier works. While many of these later compositions depict shipping on the Delaware and in New York harbor, he also executed a series of important canvases chronicling major naval engagements of the war. His seascapes depicting ships buffeted by storms along rocky coasts recall the compositions of Joseph Vernet, whose work Birch knew first hand, and those of Vernet’s followers in England, such as Philippe de Loutherbourg. Birch immigrated to America in 1794 with his father William Birch (1755-1834), a painter and engraver from whom he received his artistic training. The family settled in Philadelphia, where William, armed with letters of introduction from Ben- jamin West to leading citizens of that city, became a drawing-master. Early in their American careers both Birches executed cityscapes, several of which were engraved. Aside from stylistic affinities, the works of both father and son tended to emphasize the cultural progress and commercial prosperity of the young United States as well as its almost Edenic natural beauty. Thomas Birch was a frequent exhibitor at the Pennsylvania Academy, where he served as keeper from 1812 to 1817, as well as at other artistic institutions in Philadelphia and New York. His paintings are considered some of the finest in the genre of American landscape and marine painting.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"aradernyc","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45198355267628,"sku":null,"price":250000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1156\/7956\/files\/Screenshot2026-01-13at11.45.43AM.png?v=1768322776"},{"product_id":"birch-thomas-1779-1851-view-of-philadelphia-harbor","title":"BIRCH, Thomas (1779-1851), View of Philadelphia Harbor","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eBIRCH, Thomas (1779-1851) \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eThe view looks north on the Delaware River from below the United States Navy Yard, which operated until 1996. To the left of the Navy Yard is Sparks Shot Tower, a mu- nitions factory that operated between 1808 and 1913 (fig. 2). The remarkably detailed coastline features the skyline of Philadelphia, featuring the tower and spire of Christ Church in the center. Completed in 1754, it remained the tallest structure in the United States until 1810. The amount of detail in the painting is not limited to the skyline, as each of the boats features its own story.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"aradernyc","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45198366670892,"sku":null,"price":145000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1156\/7956\/files\/ScreenShot2026-01-09at12.39.09PM.png?v=1768323151"},{"product_id":"vail-eugene-ready-about-pare-a-virer-1888","title":"VAIL, Eugene. Ready About (Paré à Virer), 1888","description":"\u003cp\u003eVAIL, Eugene Lawrence (American\/French, 1857-1934)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eReady About (Paré à Virer), 1888\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003eoil on canvas\u003cbr\u003esigned, located Eug. Vail \/ Boulogne sur mer and dated (lower left)\u003cbr\u003e94 x 125 1\/2 in. (238.8 x 318.8cm)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"collapsible-section__content-container\" data-v-32bdb00f=\"\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"provenance__content\" data-testid=\"provenance\" data-v-32bdb00f=\"\"\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eReady About (Paré à Virer)\u003c\/em\u003e, 1888, is a monumental work by the artist Eugène Vail, who was born in France to a French mother and an American father. At the insistence of his father, he studied at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey, where he graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1877. After college he joined the National Guard, traveling with a Western expedition led by Captain George Wheeler. At the end of his service, and now free to pursue his true interest, Vail became a student of William Merritt Chase and J. Carroll Beckwith at the Art Students League in New York before returning to France. In Paris, he entered the École des Beaux-Arts in 1882, where he was instructed by Alexandre Cabanel, Raphaël Collin, and Pascal Adolphe Jean Dagnan-Bouveret, the latter the leader of the Naturalist School.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLike many artists of the late 19th century, Vail frequented Pont-Aven and Concarneau in Brittany, but eventually was attracted to Étaples, in Boulogne, along the northern coast of France. With its traditional fishing industry and rustic seafarers, Étaples appealed to both French and foreign painters alike. Vail was drawn to the life of the hardworking sailors, who he accurately depicted engaging in fishing activities, often with a sober palette of cool colors and in enormous formats.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt was here in Étaples that the artist executed\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eReady About (Paré à Virer)\u003c\/em\u003e, in 1888. Measuring at an impressive 94 x 125 ½ inches, the painting won a third-class gold medal in the Paris Salon of 1888, then in the following year, it won a first-class gold medal at the Paris Exposition Universelle. The composition is close-cropped, as if the viewer is sitting in the bow of the diagonally rocking boat. Two sailors strain to pull a rope in the immediate foreground and are depicted at almost life-sized. In the stern and at an elevated position, the captain powerfully grips the helm as he looks out over the rolling waves that threaten to capsize his vessel. With its uniform use of rectangular strokes, Vail's vigorous brushwork emphasizes the dynamic movement of the image. The overall green-gray tonalities likewise evoke the cold and wet conditions of the rough waters, with only the vivid red flesh of the day’s catch in the boat’s lower right corner to punctuate the chilly atmosphere. Theodore Child wrote about this painting: \"very beautiful in color, and amongst the very strongest and best pictures of this kind in the Exhibition.\" (T. Child, \"American Artists at the Paris Exposition.\" \u003cem\u003eHarper's New Monthly Magazine\u003c\/em\u003e, September 1889, p. 518)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 1897, the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, acquired the present work directly from Vail for a sum of $1,000. Vail reportedly instructed the gallery that it should be examined \"at some distance, as it was painted with the object of carrying best at about twelve feet.\" The same year, the Mancini Gallery in Paris welcomed:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eEugène Vail, whose previous successes had long since brought him to the attention of the discerning, who is currently in full development, and it is to a new form of art that he now devotes his fully mature talent. He is an evocative artist. His vigorous and calm colorings give a deep emotion, for this painter translates nature without sentimentality and knows how to convey to the mind of the spectator the feeling and impression that emerge from beings and things. A happy mixture of symbolism and reality, a disturbing evocation of art, such is the work of Eugène Vail, who has managed to imprint on his canvases a conscientious, bold, original individuality, which deserves to capture the attention of the most enlightened art lovers.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(\u003cem\u003eL'Intransigeant\u003c\/em\u003e, December 25, 1897, p. 3)\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"provenance__content\" data-testid=\"provenance\" data-v-32bdb00f=\"\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"provenance__content\" data-testid=\"provenance\" data-v-32bdb00f=\"\"\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003eProvenance\u003c\/span\u003e:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Artist.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCorcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1897-1951 (accession no. 97.7).\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eM. Knoedler \u0026amp; Company, New York, 1951.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTobias Fischer Gallery, 1951.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEstate of Davis Bennett, until 1991.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eR. H. Love Galleries, Inc., Chicago, Illinois.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePrivate Collection, Chicago, Illinois.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003eExhibited:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eParis Salon, 1888, no. 2422 (awarded Third Class Gold Medal).\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eParis, Exposition Universelle, 1889 (awarded First Class Gold Medal)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eParis, American Women's Club, 1928\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNew York, American Fine Arts Society Galleries, 1939, no. 10.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWashington, DC, Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1897-1951\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003eLiterature:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eF. G. Dumas, ed., \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Illustrated Catalogue of the Paris Salon\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, London, 1888, pp. 41; 223, illus.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEugene Montrosier, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eSalon de 1888, Cent Planches en Photogravure\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, Paris, 1888, p. 106.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eBiographical Sketches of American Artists\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, Lansing, Michigan, 1924, p. 94.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLouise Gebhard Cann, \"The Art of Eugene Vail,\" \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Bulletin of the American Women's Club of Paris, Inc.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, Paris, 1928, introduction and p. 5, illus.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Pan's Art Notes,\" \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe New York Herald\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e(European Edition), May 19, 1935.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLouise Gebhard Cann, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eEugene Lawrence Vail\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, Paris, 1937, n.p., illus.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, January 26, 1939.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Memorial Exhibition of Eugene Vail Paintings,\" \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Sunday Star\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, Washington, DC, January 28, 1940, p. F5, illus.\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"provenance__content\" data-testid=\"provenance\" data-v-32bdb00f=\"\"\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"provenance__content\" data-testid=\"provenance\" data-v-32bdb00f=\"\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSJF0001\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Arader Galleries","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45564364652588,"sku":null,"price":55000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1156\/7956\/files\/vail.jpg?v=1779388532"},{"product_id":"roux-frederic-vancluse-captain-raymond-l-gillchirst-entering-port-of-havre-may-10th-1832","title":"Roux, Frederic. Vancluse Captain Raymond L. Gillchirst\/ Entering Port of Havre, May 10th 1832","description":"\u003cp\u003eROUX, Frederic (1805-1870).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eVancluse Captain Raymond L. Gillchrist \/ Entering Port of Havre, May 10th 1832.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWatercolor, pen, ink on paper. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSigned and dated \"Havre, June 1832\". 27 1\/2\" x 33 3\/4\" framed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSJF0002\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Arader Galleries","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45566776115244,"sku":null,"price":9500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1156\/7956\/files\/Roux_VancluseCaptainRaymondLGillchristenteringleHavre.jpg?v=1779462605"}],"url":"https:\/\/aradernyc.com\/collections\/marine-paintings-1.oembed","provider":"Arader Galleries","version":"1.0","type":"link"}