Artwork
Harbor Scene: An English Ship with Sails Loosened Firing a Gun
Harbor Scene: An English Ship with Sails Loosened Firing a Gun is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Peter Monamy. It dates from 1726 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a maritime scene centered on an English ship whose sails are loosened and braced, with a gun fired in harbor.
The painting depicts a maritime scene centered on an English ship whose sails are loosened and braced, with a gun fired in harbor. The vessel’s rigging and hull details align with early eighteenth-century English naval practice, emphasizing readiness and display within a sheltered port environment.
The iconography foregrounds the ship as both a functional warship and a symbol of national maritime power. The firing of a gun signals ceremonial or celebratory activity rather than combat, suggesting a display of strength or arrival, consistent with contemporary representations of British naval dominance.
Technique & Style
Peter Monamy's Harbor Scene: An English Ship with Sails Loosened Firing a Gun is an oil painting executed on canvas. Created in 1726, the work measures 121.9 cm in height and 149.9 cm in width. The medium consists of oil paint applied to a canvas support, a standard practice for maritime subjects of the period that allowed for detailed rendering of water and light.
The composition depicts a harbor setting featuring a ship with its sails loosened, capturing a specific moment of nautical activity. The formal qualities emphasize the depiction of the vessel and its interaction with the harbor environment, characteristic of Monamy's focus on English shipping and maritime scenes.
History & Provenance
Peter Monamy created this oil-on-canvas harbor scene in 1726; it depicts an English ship with loosened sails firing a gun and is now part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection in New York. The work measures 121.9 by 149.9 cm and is catalogued as an oil on canvas. The available records do not disclose a specific accession or inventory number for this piece, and no exhibition history is documented in the cited sources.
Overview
Painted in 1726, Harbor Scene: An English Ship with Sails Loosened Firing a Gun is a marine work by the British artist Peter Monamy, a specialist in maritime subjects who bridged the gap between the early English school and the later works of artists like Canaletto. The composition centers on a large English warship or merchant vessel navigating a busy harbor, its sails partially unfurled as it discharges a cannon, likely a ceremonial salute. Monamy arranges the scene with a dynamic interplay of activity; smaller rowboats and figures populate the foreground, creating a sense of bustling commerce and naval life.
The artist employs a palette of earthy browns, muted blues, and greys to render the water and sky, contrasting with the white of the sails and the dark hull of the ship. This work exemplifies Monamy's mature style, characterized by a detailed observation of rigging and a focus on the atmospheric conditions of the English coast. Created during a period of expanding British naval power, the painting reflects the era's interest in maritime prowess and trade.
It stands as a representative example of Monamy's contribution to the development of British marine painting in the early eighteenth century.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
English Warship Firing a Salute
The Capture of the Royal Prince
De verovering van de Royal Prince
Siege of Vlissingen by an English Squadron
The skirmish of Michiel Adriaensz de Ruyter against the duke of York, commanding the 'Royal Prince'during the Battle of Solebay, 7 June 1672: episode from the Third Anglo-Dutch War (1672-74)
Ships on the sea
Encounter during the Battle of Kijkduin
The Encounter of the Dutch and the English Fleet during the Voyage of the Dutch Flotilla to Boulogne, 1805
Naval Battle
