Art Gallery of Old Ship Portraits and Marine Paintings
 


Ship Portrait of the German four-masted Barque *Gustav* at sea ca. 1910 - the large sailing ship is shown under full sail at moderate sea - Oil on board, 38 by 60 cm (15 by 24 inch), with frame 49 x 71 cm (19 by 28 inch) - signed lower left "T.G. Purvis" and inscribed on the bow with the ship`s name - cleaned, board is partly uneven due to age, in an old frame - Private Collection, Richmond, USA

Note: Purvis was a busy ship portrait artist, working in Cardiff, London and Bristol. He portrayed some of the largest sailing vessels which ever crossed the Oceans. Most of his paintings were executed between 1890 and the Great War (1914). This painting shows a realistic sea and a detailled handling of the huge Bark. For more information about Thomas Purvis please refer also to our publication "Ship Portrait Artists".

Thomas G. Purvis
(British, 1861-1933)
* Photo Copyright is with the FineArtEmporium *

Presented by the FineArtEmporium in Hamburg.

Purvis Gemälde
Thomas G. Purvis (British, 1861-1933) - Portrait of the four-masted Bark "Gustav" at sea -
Go back to the page for Thomas G. Purvis or to the Gallery. Photo Copyright is with the Fineartemporium.



Following are shown some more photos of the painting:

Purvis Oil Painting*

and a detail photo:


*

The four-masted barque "Gustav" was built in 1892 by Russel & Co. in Port Glasgow (Scotland) for the shipping company J. & W. Goffey in Liverpool. Its first name was "Austrasia" and already its first journey was somehow famous. The vessel should sail out on a friday in May 1892 and Captain parker was asked by Goffey if he really want to start at a friday (which was commonly believed as a day of bad fate for starting a sailing journey), but the captain did not care. Soon afterwards in the South Atlantic the "Austrasia" was completely dismasted by an extremely heavy gale and Parker was forced to sail with an emergency rigg to Rio de Janeiro. Since in Southern America no parts were available to repair the vessel Captain Parker had to sail back all the way to the Mersey / Liverpool with an emergency rigg and arrived there on December 18 of that year. Goffey did not fire Parker, but insisted that none of his ships will sail out on a friday again. The "Austrasia" was afterwards used for many long (and happy) journeys around the world until it was sold in 1910 to Bolten in Hamburg and renamed "Gustav". It was now under the command of Captain H. Jolles and mainly sailing to Australia or Southern America. At the beginning of the Great War (1914) it was hold at Mejillones. After the war it was sold to Vinnen in Hamburg, Engel in Altona and finally to Gustaf Erikson in Mariehamn in 1928 who renamed it "Melbourne". Only in 1932 (forty years after it was built !) it was lost due to a collision with a motorship off the Fastnet Lighthouse. Also Capt. Johannsson and 10 men of the "Melbourne" lost their life. The crew of the motorship had the blame, they did not know that a sailing ship has the priority to pass because it cannot change its route so easily or fast as a ship with motor.