Who painted Ship in Full Sail?

Ship in Full Sail was painted by T. Davies in 1827.

Where can I see Ship in Full Sail?

Ship in Full Sail is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Ship in Full Sail?

Ship in Full Sail is associated with British Romanticism.

Can I buy a print of Ship in Full Sail?

Museum-quality prints of Ship in Full Sail are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Ship in Full Sail by T. Davies (1827) · Artifact World Gallery

Inscription: Inscribed:on reverse (no longer visible; photo in object file [1980.62.1] in NGA curatorial records): T. Davies Bangor / Facit Feb 1827.

About this work

A small brown ship sails calm blue water under a cloudy sky, sails unfurled and leaning slightly with the wind. Dark cliffs rise to the left, pale light along the horizon. Painted in 1827 by T. Davies, about whom almost nothing is known, it shows a careful eye for light on water and rigging.

Subject & Meaning

The painting portrays a solitary vessel under full sail, identified as a boat in the marine genre.

The painting portrays a solitary vessel under full sail, identified as a boat in the marine genre. Its subject, a ship navigating open water, reflects the centrality of seafaring to early‑19th‑century life and commerce, a common theme in marine art of the period. By emphasizing the expansive sky and the ship’s poised motion, the work evokes both the grandeur of maritime enterprise and the sublime power of nature that shaped contemporary perceptions of the sea.

The composition thus functions symbolically as an emblem of progress and exploration, aligning with the broader cultural fascination with oceanic trade and navigation during the era.

Technique & Style

The painting employs oil on canvas, a medium favored for its luminosity and slow drying time, which allowed the artist to model form through layered glazes. The composition is structured around a diagonally set hull and sharply angled sail, conveying the vessel’s motion against a low horizon. Brushwork appears smooth in the sky and reflections, while the rigging and hull are rendered with finer, descriptive strokes to articulate detail.

The canvas support, measuring 68 × 92.3 cm, is prepared with a typical ground layer to enhance adhesion and optical depth. No conservation notes on condition are provided in the cited sources.

History & Provenance

The marine painting titled Ship in Full Sail was created by T. Davies in 1827. Executed in oil on canvas, the work originated in Kingston, New York. Its documented ownership chain begins with Joseph Coty, whose city of residence remains unspecified in available records.

Coty sold the painting in 1959 to the collectors Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch. Following their ownership, the artwork entered the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1980 via bequest. The piece is currently held by the National Gallery of Art, where it remains part of the permanent collection.

Ship in Full Sail is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The work entered the museum's holdings in 1980 via a bequest from Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch. Prior to this acquisition, the painting was sold to the Garbisches in 1959 by Joseph Coty, an owner based in an unspecified city, having previously been recorded in Kingston, New York. While the artwork dates to 1827 and measures 68 by 92.3 centimeters, the available records do not list specific exhibition history or provide a distinct inventory accession number beyond its institutional location.

Legacy

Ship in Full Sail (1827) by T. Davies entered the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., after being sold in 1959 by Joseph Coty to Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch and later bequeathed to the museum in 1980. The work is listed in the museum’s collection and identified as marine art, underscoring its recognized importance within the genre. Its presence in a major national collection has facilitated scholarly discussion of early American maritime painting and contributed to its reputation as a representative 19th‑century marine image.

The painting is frequently cited in studies of American marine art and appears in exhibition records of the NGA.

Overview

T. Davies's "Ship in Full Sail," an oil on canvas from 1827, presents a serene maritime scene. The painting features a small vessel navigating calm waters under a cloudy sky, its white sails fully unfurled and catching the wind. This work is notable for its careful execution, particularly in rendering the ship's rigging and the atmospheric effects of light.

Despite the artist's obscure identity, the painting has been preserved and is now part of a significant public collection.