Sailor's Woolwork Picture, Royal Navy Ship With Padded Trapunto Sails

Details

Description

Sailor's Woolwork Picture, Royal Navy Ship with Padded Trapunto Sails
Circa 1865–1885

This British sailor's woolwork, worked in colored wools, … Read more Sailor's Woolwork Picture, Royal Navy Ship with Padded Trapunto Sails
Circa 1865–1885

This British sailor's woolwork, worked in colored wools, presents a port-broadside view of a Royal Navy three-masted ship of the line in full sail, flying the White Ensign at the stern and sailing a calm blue sea beneath a pale sky with drifting cream clouds. The billowing sails are raised in padded trapunto wool that stands boldly proud of the surface, while the brown hull carries a double tier of checkered gun ports worked in cream wool and set with dark glass beads for the guns. Retained in a bird's-eye maple frame with a gilt slip.

The strong silhouette and soft palette of cream, sage and deep blue suit a library, study or stair hall, and the picture hangs well with marine paintings, ship portraits or English ceramics. The warm maple frame sits comfortably against traditional paneling and a pared-back coastal scheme alike.

Dimensions
Height: 20½ inches (52.1 cm)
Width: 25½ inches (64.8 cm)
Depth: 1¼ inches (3.2 cm)

Provenance
Earle D. Vandekar of Knightsbridge

Historical Context
Sailors' woolwork pictures—affectionately called “woolies”—are among the most appealing products of nineteenth-century British maritime folk art, worked in colored wools by seamen during their leisure hours at sea, in port and in retirement ashore. The padded, raised sails seen here, built up in the trapunto manner so that they billow in relief, are a feature of the more ambitious examples and are especially prized. The White Ensign—flown by every Royal Navy ship from 1864, when the red, white and blue squadronal ensigns were abolished—together with the two-decker's checkered gun ports, points to a ship of the line of the mid-Victorian navy.

(Ref: VM98817) See less