Large Gilt Framed Victorian Painting High Tide Off Trebarwith Strand Dramatic Cornish Shipwreck by Charles Sim Mottram Rba, c.1894

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Description

“High Tide off Trebarwith Strand”
Dramatic Cornish Shipwreck Masterpiece, Signed Charles Sim Mottram RBA, c.1894

Subject and Medium
A powerful … Read more “High Tide off Trebarwith Strand”
Dramatic Cornish Shipwreck Masterpiece, Signed Charles Sim Mottram RBA, c.1894

Subject and Medium
A powerful late-Victorian marine watercolour by Charles Sim Mottram, titled “High Tide off Trebarwith Strand” and dated 1894. The view is the wild north Cornish coast at Trebarwith Strand, near Tintagel: a steep, cliff-backed beach facing directly onto the Atlantic.
Just beyond the surf line, a full-rigged sailing vessel has run aground and is breaking up on submerged rocks. The stern lifts and falls in the heavy swell; shattered masts and spars cant at dangerous angles. On the beach below the cliffs, fishermen, lifeboat men and local villagers surge towards the water’s edge as the crisis unfolds.
Executed in watercolour with bodycolour (white heightening) on paper, this is an original 19th-century work, not a print or reproduction.

Composition and Technique
Mottram sets the subject in a wide, panoramic format, allowing the eye to travel from the immediate foreground across the surf zone to the headland and sky beyond.
In the foreground, the wet sand catches and reflects the light. Ruts, footprints and small tidal pools record where the sea has only recently retreated. A strong diagonal line of figures leads from the lower left into the centre of the composition: fishermen in traditional sou’westers and work clothes brace themselves against the pull of heavy, tarred ropes and wreckage vanishing into the waves. Some strain forward with their full weight; others steady the line or signal urgently towards the stricken ship. Further up the beach, nearer the cliffs, more figures – including children – cluster in small groups, shading their eyes as they watch the drama offshore.
In the middle distance, the Atlantic rolls in as a series of powerful, layered bands of blue-grey and green. Mottram uses dense bodycolour to break the wave crests into foam and spray, giving the water convincing weight and motion. The wreck lies just beyond the principal line of breakers, its dark hull and splintered spars sharply silhouetted against the paler, churning water around it. Broken rigging and fallen masts heighten the sense of chaos and imminent loss.
Beyond, a headland and lower cliffs close the view and place the scene firmly on the north Cornish coast, while a low, layered sky presses down over sea and land. Gulls wheel over the wreck, captured with a few precise strokes that add scale and vitality.
Technically, the painting demonstrates assured handling: broad transparent washes for sky and distance, more structured modelling for cliffs and figures, and crisp, opaque highlights for foam, spray and key details. The balance between accurate drawing and expressive brushwork is exactly what serious collectors seek in Victorian marine watercolours.

The Artist: Charles Sim Mottram RBA
Charles Sim Mottram RBA (British, 1852–1919) was a well-regarded late-Victorian painter of marine and coastal subjects. Based in London, he travelled frequently to the west and south-west coasts of Britain, with Cornwall providing some of his most dramatic material.
He is best known for shipwrecks, lifeboat launches and storm scenes, alongside quieter harbour and coastal views. His works were regularly exhibited in London, including at the Institute of Painters in Water Colours (later the Royal Institute), and are admired for their combination of narrative drama and closely observed sea and weather.
Mottram is occasionally confused with the earlier engraver Charles Mottram, but this painting is clearly by Charles Sim Mottram, the marine painter: the signature, shipwreck subject, date and watercolour technique are all entirely consistent with his known oeuvre. His Cornish coastal subjects are particularly desirable, with a Cornish view at St Ives achieving 20,129 US dollars at Tennants in 2013.

Historical and Artistic Significance
This watercolour is a carefully composed, securely dated example of Mottram’s mature marine work. It conveys both the raw power of the Atlantic against the north Cornish coast and the collective response of a coastal community: men risking themselves at the edge of the surf, women and children watching in anxious suspense from slightly higher ground.
Trebarwith Strand is a dramatic and much-loved stretch of coastline. Works that unite a specific, recognisable Cornish location with this degree of narrative intensity and scale are particularly attractive – and highly collectable – in the fields of Cornish art and British marine painting.
The original late-19th-century exhibition-type label on the reverse, recording the full title, location, artist’s name, London banking address and original price, links the work directly to the Victorian exhibition and retail system. It confirms that the painting was conceived as a substantial professional exhibit, not as a casual sketch.

Provenance and Exhibition History
Originally exhibited in a London watercolour exhibition in the late 19th century, as evidenced by the original exhibition-type label on the reverse, which is entirely consistent with labels used by the Institute of Painters in Water Colours (later the Royal Institute).
The label is inscribed with the title “High Tide”, the location “off Trebarwith Strand”, the artist’s name and his London banking address, “c/o London & County Bank, High Holborn W.C.”, together with the original price in manuscript.
Subsequently in private ownership in the United Kingdom, then in a private collection in Gwynedd, Wales, where both the painting and the original label were preserved.
Later offered and sold through a notable North West–based auction house (label verso).
Curated by Cheshire Antiques Consultant Ltd and exhibited in “Atlantic Drama: Shipwrecks & Lifeboat Heroes on the Cornish Coast”, Winter 2025, Famous Lord Hill Museum, among a selection of important British marine and Cornish coastal works from private collections. Now re-offered from this curated collection.

Signature
The painting is signed lower right “Chas S Mottram 94”, confirming both the artist and the 1894 date. The signature is clear, fluid and entirely in keeping with other known examples by Charles Sim Mottram. On the reverse label, the artist also signs himself “Chas S Mottram”, providing an additional, documentary confirmation of authorship in his own hand.

Frame and Glazing
The work is presented in an attractive gilt moulded Larson-Juhl frame, recently professionally fitted. The high-quality contemporary moulding is sympathetic to both the Victorian date and the maritime subject, giving a classic, gallery-ready appearance while meeting modern conservation expectations. An inner slip adds depth and sets off the image.
To the front, the watercolour is glazed with AR70 glass, a premium low-reflection glazing that markedly reduces glare and offers enhanced UV filtration compared with standard glass. This improves viewing under modern lighting (including near windows or artificial light sources) and provides additional protection for the delicate watercolour pigments.
The frame is recent and presents very cleanly, with only minimal handling evidence, and is ready to hang.

Framed Size
Approx. 67.5 cm high × 109.5 cm wide × 3 cm deep.
The wide panoramic proportions and overall size give the piece real presence on the wall. Larger than many Victorian watercolours, it is particularly effective above a sofa, sideboard or fireplace, or on a stairwell wall where the sweep of the composition and richness of detail can be appreciated at a comfortable distance.

Key Selling Points
Dramatic late-Victorian shipwreck scene on the rugged Cornish coast at Trebarwith Strand, rich in narrative and human interest.
Large, exhibition-scale watercolour in a striking panoramic format, with strong decorative impact.
Well-documented work by Charles Sim Mottram RBA, with original Victorian exhibition-type label recording title, location, artist’s name and London banking address, plus recent curated museum exhibition history.
Strong regional and historical appeal (Cornwall, Trebarwith Strand, Victorian maritime life) combined with aesthetic impact suited to both traditional and contemporary interiors.
Professionally presented in a recently fitted gilt Larson-Juhl frame with AR70 low-reflection, UV-filtering glass: visually impressive, well protected and ready to hang. See less