Artwork
Homeward Bound: "The Great Eastern"
Homeward Bound: "The Great Eastern" is an oil painting by the Realist artist Robert Charles Dudley. It dates from 1866 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
By capturing this moment, the work symbolizes the triumph of mid-19th-century engineering and the shrinking of global distances through communication.
Robert Charles Dudley's 1866 oil painting depicts the steamship Great Eastern navigating the open sea. The composition focuses on the vessel as it engages in the laying of the transatlantic telegraph cable, a specific technological feat represented within the scene. By capturing this moment, the work symbolizes the triumph of mid-19th-century engineering and the shrinking of global distances through communication.
The inclusion of the cable highlights the ship's dual role as both a maritime transport and an instrument of industrial progress, marking a pivotal era in connecting continents.
Technique & Style
Homeward Bound: 'The Great Eastern' is an oil painting on canvas executed in 1866 by Robert Charles Dudley. The work measures approximately 113.7 cm in height and 170.8 cm in width, presenting a relatively large format that accommodates the detailed depiction of the steamship Great Eastern laying the transatlantic telegraph cable. Dudley's technique relies on traditional oil paint applied to a primed canvas support, allowing for layered brushwork and subtle tonal variations typical of mid-nineteenth-century maritime painting.
History & Provenance
Painted in 1866 by Robert Charles Dudley, Homeward Bound: "The Great Eastern" is an oil-on-canvas work depicting the ship that laid the transatlantic telegraph cable. Measuring 113.7 × 170.8 cm, the painting is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work commemorates the successful completion of the 1866 transatlantic cable expedition, a subject Dudley documented extensively. No earlier ownership chain, commission records, or prior provenance are specified in the available sources.
Overview
Robert Charles Dudley's oil painting, "Homeward Bound: 'The Great Eastern'," created in 1866, captures a bustling maritime scene. The work depicts various vessels navigating a harbor, with a particular emphasis on a prominent steamship. This painting is part of the collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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Artist & collection
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