William Lionel Wyllie (British, 1851-1931). 'The Foudroyant'...

Hammer

£1,100

William Lionel Wyllie (British, 1851-1931).
'The Foudroyant', seascape scene depicting the Launch of H.M.S. Foudroyant, signed lower right, oil on board, 28.5 x 50 cm, mounted in a gilt frame.
Note: Ordered in 1788, laid down at Plymouth and launched in May 1798, H.M.S. Foudroyant was an 80-gun two-decker of 2,062 tons. Originally intended for Nelson but unfinished when he was ordered to the Mediterranean in May 1798, she served briefly as his flagship, from June 1799 to June 1800, before she became Admiral Lord Keith's flagship. After playing a large role in the recapture of Malta, she was refitted in 1802-1803 and then returned to sea until 1812 when her active career finished. She was then stationed at Devonport on dockyard duties until she was finally sold in 1892 for £2,350. Laterally wrecked at Blackpool in 1897, she was broken up and all her salvageable timber and metal was eventually recycled into a large variety of maritime souvenirs.
William Lionel Wyllie is regarded as one of Britain's most celebrated marine artists of the later Victorian and early 20th century era. As a painter in both oil and watercolour, he is also known for highly atmospheric etchings of vessels, big and small, in the many harbours and waterways around the British Isles and sometimes beyond.