After J.M.W. Turner, Dutch Boats in a Gale, 1880, Engraving

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A steel engraving after j.m.w. Turner's dutch boats in a gale, one of the most dramatic sea pieces of his … Read more A steel engraving after j.m.w. Turner's dutch boats in a gale, one of the most dramatic sea pieces of his early career. A heavily laden dutch fishing boat heels over in a steep, breaking sea while a second boat drives across its bow under a straining sail. The crews haul and bail, and in the calmer distance a large three-masted ship rides at anchor beneath a towering bank of storm cloud. The whole sheet is built on contrast: the white crests and the pale sail against a sky that darkens toward the upper left. The lettering credits the painting to j.m.w. Turner, r.a. (pinxt) and the engraving to j.c. Armytage (sculpt), with the title "dutch boats in a gale" and the imprint of j.s. Virtue and co. Limited, london. Virtue issued a long run of steel engravings after turner's oils in the later nineteenth century, and the limited company form of the imprint points to an impression of around 1880. Turner painted the picture as a young man, setting himself against the dutch marine painters of the seventeenth century, and it helped make his name. James charles armytage was one of the leading english reproductive engravers of his day, and the fine ruled work in the sky and the cross hatching of the water show the steel engraver's craft at its most exacting. A strong choice for a study, a coastal house or any collection of marine prints, it holds a wall well under a wide mat. The engraved image measures about 18.3 by 25.9 cm (height by width), and the margins around it carry all the original lettering, which is worth keeping visible in the mat. Condition: light age toning; light handling soiling along the edges and a few small spots in the margins. A small light fleck in the image, otherwise clean. This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed. See less